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Geothermal energy elementary part of Denmarks heating future

Geothermal energy elementary part of Denmarks heating future Winter view in Copenhagen, Denmark (source: flickr/ Kristoffer Trolle, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 11 Oct 2021

As part of a large research a Heating Plan for Denmark 2021 ("Varmeplan Danmark 2021") has been released highlighting the importance of geothermal energy in the future for Denmark's heating market.

What is the most efficient conversion of the heating sector in Denmark, environmentally and economically? Researchers at Aalborg University have studied this and described this in the comprehensive Heat Plan Denmark 2021, which was released last week.

The “Heating plan Denmark 2021” has four key takeaways:

  1. Energy savings in the building stock are important. We need to find the right balance between energy savings, energy efficiencies and renewable energy. This means that we must continue to focus on energy renovation.
  2. District heating should be expanded as we shut down natural gas and oil-fired boilers and as new urban areas arise. Outside the district heating areas, the heat should come from individual heat pumps supplemented with solar heating. This combination provides the most energy efficient and flexible solution that at the same time reducing the need for biomass and the number of wind turbines.
  3. In the district heating supply, a targeted focus should be placed on the transition to 4th generation district heating lower temperatures. It provides the lowest cost and most efficient use of geothermal energy, surplus heat and large heat pumps.
  4. In the energy system of the future, there is great potential for geothermal and surplus heat from industry, data centers and Power2X. These opportunities should be exploited.

The main message here is that there must be a strong focus on energy savings, as well as a stronger emphasis on additional district heating with much more geothermal energy and excess heat use.

The analysis is very thorough and is based on seven detailed GIS analyses that map the heating market down to the individual building’s consumption and location in connection with the potential for surplus heat, which could be provided from 9,235 concrete Danish companies. The GIS analyses are also used to assess the potential for expansion of the district heating network.

More than 1000 hours by hour analyses of the energy system examine the balance between supply and consumption and show where the potential for district heating with geothermal and excess heat is economically and resource-wise the most optimal.

The heating sector has not been studied in isolation, but as part of a complex, integrated energy system such as the one we are looking into in the future.

Read more in the reports here: https://lnkd.in/eGtMbcGx

Source: Anja Nielsn, CEO Office Innargi, Denmark via LinkedIn