22.11.2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
Communal heat planning can also play a leading role in the expansion and conversion of electricity and gas grids. This is what Dena expert Andreas Koch said at the "Heatexpo" in Dortmund.
The trade fair director of the new industry get-together "Heatexpo" in Dortmund demonstrated a certain dramaturgical flair with the lecture program on the first day on 21 November. While the majority of the presentations and debates focused on the Heat Planning Act, which will come into force in Germany on January 1, 2024, the pioneers in this field had their say at the very end. Denmark passed its first heat planning law back in 1979.
So it's worth taking a look at our neighbors and their experiences. Germany, still at the very beginning of the heating transition, can benefit from this. In keeping with this, Andreas Koch presented a practical dialog on integrated energy infrastructure planning for the German Energy Agency (Dena), which was completed in March 2023. The "Quartier & Stadt" team leader recalled the results of joint discussions with EWE Netz, Rheinische Netzgesellschaft (RNG), Stadtwerke München and Stromnetz Hamburg (we reported).
Integrated grid planning ideally leads to suppliers and grid developers avoiding parallel infrastructures, according to Andreas Koch. Parallel grids can arise, for example, when a district heating supplier connects neighborhoods or districts for which an electricity grid operator is simultaneously reinforcing lines because it wants to support the ramp-up of heat pumps. According to Andreas Koch, it is of course easier to coordinate these grid plans if an energy company operates and plans distribution grids for gas, electricity and heat under one roof.
Where competing companies are responsible for the various grids, there should be early coordination between the players in order to achieve "peaceful" solutions for securing the supply and achieving the goal of climate neutrality. The practical dialog with the four companies produced many good results. For example, everyone is aware of the urgency of coordinating processes.
Heat planning can have a guiding function for grid expansion
Andreas Koch expects heat planning in municipalities, for which a legal framework will apply from January 2024, to also provide effective impetus for areas where the infrastructure is not yet well developed. Heat planning could be a good guideline for clarifying which energy sources should be supplied to which locations in the future. The network planning for gas or the successor molecule hydrogen, for electricity and heat should now be carried out synchronously by those responsible. This is the only way to implement measures with a long lead time in good time, such as the ramp-up of heat pumps or electrolysers.
A concrete suggestion that emerged from the practical dialog was that there should be a central energy coordination office in the municipalities. It could bundle comprehensive energy master planning and be the central point of contact for infrastructure operators. With this help, transformation plans for the grids could be developed jointly. Municipalities should also think regionally and thus develop energy scenarios in a broader context beyond municipal boundaries, which in turn benefits grid operators.
The "Heatexpo" in Dortmund is the first heating trade fair of its kind in Germany. Until November 23, more than 100 exhibitors will be showcasing their products and services for the climate-friendly heat supply of the future in Westfalenhalle 4. According to Managing Director Ingert Liebing, the Association of Local Utilities (VKU) has "gladly taken on the ideal partnership" for the event. It "has what it takes to become the future leading trade fair for the heating industry".
Author: Volker Stephan
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