23.03.2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
Scientists from several German states have accompanied three and a half years projects on the municipal heat transition and developed solutions. Their results they presented in Berlin.
Over three and a half years, scientists of the nationwide research consortium "KoWa - Wärmewende in der kommunalen Energieversorgung" have worked. Despite obstructions from the Corona pandemic, they visited projects in selected neighborhoods during implementation. They helped bring together stakeholders, find concrete solutions, discuss and gain insights.
On March 22, the results of the research project were presented and discussed in a final conference in Berlin. The clusters studied in the project were presented in detail:
- Cluster Osnabrück: Georgsmarienhütte and Bramsche - medium-sized towns with industrial character
- Cluster Berlin: large city with diverse supply options
- Cluster Sömmerda (Thuringia): Small town with diverse supply options
- Cluster Saarlouis: Steinrausch district with district heating supply
Using waste heat for the community
In Osnabrück, previously non-networked actors from industry and the community were brought together to develop waste heat potential in a targeted manner, reported Christian Waldhoff from Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. As a neutral party, the researchers were given a mediating position without any economic self-interest. It turned out that the Georgsmarienhütte steelworks, a furniture factory and a large cheese dairy would have the opportunity to make their waste heat usefully usable through a heat network and to extremely reduce greenhouse gases.
In doing so, the furniture factory would bring in wood waste that could also be stored for longer periods of time, and the electric steel mill would have the chance to work with renewable electricity. In the meantime, this has already led to the commissioning of project planning and the drafting of contracts, Waldhoff was pleased to say. At the same time, he said, developments had shown that the project would not pay for itself in the industrial timeframe of up to six years without subsidies. The state subsidy, however, has many pitfalls. For example, a maximum of two partners are required for waste heat contracting. Also to it the science tries to find solutions with the policy
Concrete emission goal per square meter
In the Berlin projects it concerned particularly the heat change in rented dwellings. The head of heating of the municipal housing company Howoge, Matthias Schmitz-Peiffer, named as a target for decarbonized buildings the annual emission of 2 kilos of CO2 per square meter. In the current stock, however, the average today is 17 kilos. In the "Q1" project quarter in Berlin-Karlshorst, it is as high as 20 kilograms. The quarter consists of apartment blocks from the 1950s, which were actually energetically renovated in 2000.
Combinations of solar energy, biofuels and geothermal energy were investigated here. Calculations could estimate after Schmitz Peiffers experiences the effects of energy-saving measures only with difficulty, since these depend also strongly on the user behavior. That's why he advocated a premium for real savings: "Whoever can prove zero emissions per square meter in the end gets, for example, 10 euros premium per square meter, that motivates!"
Local conditions decisive
This is a good idea in the real estate industry, said Katharina Gapp-Schmeling, professor at the Institute for Future Energy and Material Flow Systems (Izes) at HTW Saar. However, the idea does not work for one- and two-family houses. Here there is the "danger of a creeping expropriation" by the energy-political defaults. It demanded particularly from the public utilities more commitment in the heat change.
"If municipal companies do not become climate neutral, who will?" asked Gapp-Schmeling. Mayors should no longer see and treat their municipal companies merely as a "cash cow." In contrast to the electricity turnaround, the heat turnaround can only be achieved locally, which is why it is important to search for and find the players. The individual project results of KoWa are available on the Internet.
Author: Susanne Harmsen
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