District heating in cities as a part of low-carbon energy system

Hast, Aira; Syri, Sanna; Lekavičius, Vidas; Galinis, Arvydas

doi:10.1016/j.energy.2018.03.156

Cited by 79 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Biomass and combustion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) are widely proposed options for the decarbonisation of heating systems and DH in Europe. Utilisation of MSW as fuel in DH has expanded in many European city regions (see, e.g., Reference [17]). This has led to significant increases in both MSW imports in the Baltic sea region and raised questions regarding the sustainability of these transports and the diversion of resources away from recycling [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Possible Role of Modular Nuclear Reactors in District Heating: Case Helsinki Region

Värri

Syri

2019

Energies

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To answer the challenges presented by climate change, all aspects of our energy systems have to carry out a rapid transition towards decarbonisation. This is especially true for the European heating sector that still relies heavily on fossil fuels. District heating systems have been traditionally praised for their efficiency, but replacing old fossil fuel based combined heat and power (CHP) plants is an ongoing challenge, and also the sustainability of biomass as a large-scale option can be considered questionable. Small modular nuclear reactors are one of the potential sources of future CO2-free district heat production. We evaluate the suitability and cost-effectiveness of these plants for district heating through literature review and scenario modelling. The technical aspects of small modular reactors seem promising but there is still a significant amount of uncertainty around both their costs and deployability. The scenario modelling assesses the investment in 300 MWdh of new district heating capacity in the Helsinki Metropolitan area in 2030 either as a CHP plant or as a heat-only boiler. The results indicate that a modular nuclear heat-only boiler could be profitable, while profitable investment in a modular nuclear CHP plant relies heavily on future electricity market price levels.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Possible Role of Modular Nuclear Reactors in District Heating: Case Helsinki Region

Värri

Syri

2019

Energies

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“…1) 2020 DH scenario In an earlier research [5], the plans and goals of the cities and DH companies supplying district heat in the studied regions were reviewed. Based on that review, the 2020 scenarios were formed so that the currently planned projects are included in them.…”

Section: Studied District Heat Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These policies may also affect the behavior of the consumers and heat demand. In an earlier research [5], the plans and goals of the studied cities and DH companies were reviewed, and possible future DH scenarios towards carbon neutrality were formed based on that review. The analysis also showed that there are differences in the possible future development pathways towards carbon neutrality in the studied DH systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transition to Carbon Neutral Energy Systems - Implications to District Heating in Cities

Hast

Syri

Welsch

et al. 2018

2018 15th International Conference on the European Energy Market (EEM)

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In this paper, the results from EU level energy system modelling with TIMES PanEU are interpreted to the city level development of the district heating (DH) systems of Warsaw and Helsinki region until 2050. In the future, there is probably more variation in the electricity prices due to the higher share of renewable energy sources in the electricity production which further affects the operation of DH systems. The results presented in this paper indicate that heat storages were almost always profitable investments and the optimal heat storage capacity was highest in 2050. The benefit of the heat storage increased with the variation in electricity prices. In Warsaw, heat pumps were also profitable. Heat production with wood and waste fuels as well as utilization of geothermal and waste heat increased in Helsinki region by 2050. In Warsaw, the consumption of biomass, waste and electricity in heat production increased by 2050.

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“…In some cold countries, district heating is perceived as being capable of lowering peak electricity demand and being more energy efficient in providing heating for large urban areas in winter [1][2][3]. The traditional district coal-fired heating system has, however, been criticised in terms of its low energy efficiency, extensive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and heavy air pollution [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Private Partnerships, a Value for Money Solution for Clean Coal District Heating Operations

Wang

Chen

2019

Sustainability

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Although district heating is an energy-effective solution for cold countries, the coal-fired district heating sector is still facing significant challenges as regards sustainable development, during its operational stage. In order to achieve better operational performance, public private partnerships (PPP) have been introduced in relation to managing clean coal district heating, as a value for money (VfM) solution. To date, however, studies of the application of clean coal in district heating operations are rare and the lack of an evaluation framework hinders the effectiveness test on this sustainable solution. This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of PPP as a VfM solution to the operation of clean coal district heating, by developing an assessment framework on the basis of three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social and environmental, and discussing the proposal, by means of a case study. The assessment results show that the PPP operation offers good VfM performance but with room for improvement, including more user engagement. This research contributes to the literature on clean coal district heating and PPP by providing a comprehensive assessment framework for evaluating VfM performance of the concept. The application of the framework can help the authorities with a robust PPP assessment and thus, improve the sustainable performance of the clean coal heating operation.

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District heating in cities as a part of low-carbon energy system

Cited by 79 publications

References 51 publications

The Possible Role of Modular Nuclear Reactors in District Heating: Case Helsinki Region

The Possible Role of Modular Nuclear Reactors in District Heating: Case Helsinki Region

Transition to Carbon Neutral Energy Systems - Implications to District Heating in Cities

Public Private Partnerships, a Value for Money Solution for Clean Coal District Heating Operations

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