This Solution is tailored to Local Governments who have ownership and/or regulatory authority over the municipal water supply system. In this Solution, the Local Government takes a comprehensive approach to increase its energy-efficiency throughout the different phases of the system`s project and useful life, from policy setting, planning, project design, and project evaluation to operation, maintenance and monitoring.
District energy systems (DES) deliver heating or cooling to customers through a pipe network filled with hot or cold water, circulated by pumps. As the character of the built environment greatly determines project feasibility, consideration of DES in energy and urban planning processes can significantly contribute to achieving the heat load density necessary to ensure network cost effectiveness. Urban planning can also mitigate load uncertainty for DES by enabling phased development that balances generation and demand.
Waste incineration with energy recovery, usually named Waste-to-Energy (WtE) is a widely applied technique in developed countries – especially in the European Union, Japan, and the USA. WtE plants process the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and similar wastes that remains after waste prevention, re-use and recycling. WtE plants treat waste hygienically, reduce its volume by about 90%, and enable the recovery of energy contained in the waste through the generation of electricity and /or thermal energy (steam or hot water). The electricity is fed into the power grid to supply the end-users; depending on local infrastructure, the hot water can be used for District Energy network to heat (or cool) homes, hospitals, offices etc.; and the steam can be used by nearby industries for their production processes.
District cooling is a system in which chilled water (typically at 4 to 7 degree Celsius) is distributed in pipes (usually underground) from a central cooling plant to several buildings for space cooling and process cooling. By replacing individual cooling systems in each building, the district cooling system can deliver economies of scale in terms of capital, energy and maintenance costs.
The RethinkAction Platform supports local and regional stakeholders in addressing climate change through land-use-based Adaptation and Mitigation Solutions (LAMS). It enables users to assess climate risks, explore science-based climate strategies, and simulate future scenarios at local, European, and global scales. The platform offers different tools categorised under 3 main analysis paths: 1) LAMS Catalogue, 2) Local Analysis Tool, 3) EU/Global Analysis Tool.
This Solution provides guidance on the integration of renewable energy (RE) sources into district energy. It can be of interest to both established and growing cities. For new district energy systems (DES), cities should explore opportunities to integrate local RE sources from the early planning stages. For pre-existing systems, the integration of renewables can be coordinated with system expansion and/or the retrofitting plans for the network as well as energy production. Decentralized production using multiple RE sources and technologies can offer several benefits as well.
Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of useful heat and electricity from the same fuel source (IEA, 2009), also known as Combined Heat and Power generation (CHP). It is much more efficient than separate power generation through the combustion of fuels and usually a good choice for large consumers of both heat/cool and electricity such as certain types of industry and hospitals.
Geographical Information System (GIS) Mapping serves as a framework to organize and analyze data, and communicate information using the science of geography. It also reveals deeper insights into data, such as patterns, relationships, and situations, helping users make smarter decisions [1]. Before the introduction of GIS for resource assessment, site suitability was carried out through site surveys, paper maps, and other time-consuming, inefficient, and costly field sampling methods.
Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) is an innovative business model where energy service companies sell or lease solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, usually solar home systems (SHS), to customers in exchange for regular payments via mobile money, cash or scratch cards [1]. Due to the range of packages available, customers can choose from starter kits that supply a few lights and charge cell phones, to larger systems that can power TVs, radios, stoves and small fridges [1][2]. In some cases, if a customer cannot make payments, the energy service provider is able to switch off the system remotely, and switch them on again once payment is made [2
Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen gas produced through a process called electrolysis, using renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, or hydroelectric power. It’s called “green”” because the energy used in its production comes from sustainable and clean sources, resulting in minimal or no greenhouse gas emissions. The process of creating green hydrogen involves splitting water molecules (H2O) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) through electrolysis. During electrolysis, an electric current passes through water, causing the water molecules to dissociate into their constituent elements: hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen produced in this way can be stored and used as a clean energy carrier in various sectors, such as transportation, industry, and power generation.”
Energy storage refers to technologies that capture one form of energy (usually electrical) when generated and store it as another (chemical, thermal, mechanical or electrochemical) for release when required [1]. Storage is essential for enabling the use of variable renewable energy (vRE) such as solar and wind due to its intermittent nature.