Background report on EU-27 district heating and cooling potentials, barriers, best practice and measures of promotion

This report reviews the technology, state-of-the-art, best practice, barriers, scope and measures for promotion of Combined Heat and Power District Heating and Cooling (CHP-DH) It indicates that CHP-DH is likely to have a key role in de-carbonising the building heating sector in Europe, due to the inherently low fuel overhead of any energy delivered, typically 1/4th of the fuel energy over-head of gas boiler heat and 1/3rd the fuel energy overhead of direct electric heating. The technology offers the flexibility to operate with most sources of renewable energy such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass and waste industrial heat. A key feature is the already cost effective manner in which surplus wind energy can be stored as heat and delivered to consumers, and the ability of CHP power stations to back up variable output wind thus solving the intermittency/variability problem without expensive electricity storage. It points out that the impact of CHP is exactly the same as a heat pump but with a much better efficiency as measured by COP. It points out the need to develop and stimulate low temperature District Heating and Cooling networks due to the improved COP and the ability to readily take in other forms of lower temperature heat.