This was the first global event organised jointly between Euroheat & Power, the International District Energy Association, Dansk Fjernvarme and the Danish Board of District Heating, with support from the municipality of Copenhagen.
The obligations on municipalities and cities around the world to lower their carbon dioxide emissions and increase their energy efficiency while still maintaining reliability are increasingly pressing; however, district energy is proving to be an ideal solution to this thorny dilemma. District energy can play a key role in building smart, self-sustainable cities. Urban areas are home to the majority of the world’s citizens, meaning that the fight against climate change will be either won or lost in cities.
The summit provided an introduction to the principles and benefits of district energy. It brought together government representatives, policy leaders and environmentalists and invited them to experience first-hand how district energy can deliver higher efficiency, greater fuel flexibility and more sustainability.
It was also the occasion to announce the first District Energy Climate Awards to city pioneers driving innovative district heating and cooling concepts.
“These communities are showing the world the path forward on climate change: low-carbon, energy efficient district energy systems are win/win/win solutions for the environment, energy security and local economic growth. We hope that other cities look to these models as examples”, said Richard Jones, Deputy Director of the IEA in his keynote speech.
With entrants from 11 different countries 5 the judging panel, under the auspices of the IEA, conceded that it had proved to be a difficult choice, but six of the entrants were awarded with special mention for their outstanding contribution to district energy. The Awards were presented at a special ceremony by Lena Sommestad, former Swedish Environment Minister.
The winners were as follows:
University of Texas at Austin, United States – The UT Austin is a large university campus serving 70,000 students. 200 campus buildings are connected by a district energy system with several high-efficiency features, including cogeneration. As a result of the system, the campus’ carbon emissions have remained flat in spite of increasing campus energy demands.
Boras, Sweden – 55% of Boras’ 64,000 residents rely on the town’s innovative district heating system, which receives its energy from a cogeneration plant using a mixture of biomass, waste and landfill gas. Boras uses biodegradable household waste in production of biogas for bus transport and the production of fertilizer.
Copenhagen, Denmark – The district energy system in Copenhagen covers 98 % of the city’s heat demand. The system is part of a wide-ranging network covering the city center and 15 suburban districts. The system is pioneering the large-scale use of renewable resources via the integration of cogeneration, biomass and solar energy.
Dunkerque, France – This district heating system recycles surplus energy from France’s largest steel mill. The city has added three cogeneration units and a second surplus heat capture unit at the steel plant and increased the share of recovered energy in the network to 90%, significantly lowering overall carbon emissions.
Jiamusi, China – This pioneering system includes a vision for growth to 2020, when the network will supply 14.5 million m2 of area, representing 75% of the city’s current heating surface. The current plant has already reduced carbon emissions significantly through the replacement of over 60 coal-fired boilers.
Krakow, Poland – Social and economic transformation has strongly influenced local heat distributors so that the heat market has grown in size and competitiveness. Krakow’s system demonstrates a modern, efficient system that is providing energy and economic savings while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, e.g. through the closure of 392 coal-fired boiler units over the period 1990-2008.
The representative organizations of the district energy sector joined forces in leading the way to Copenhagen with this pioneering summit. They also produced their joint recommendations to include district energy in the future Global Climate Agreement Post 2012, and are intended to guide decision-makers gathering at the COP-15.
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