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Heat4Future: A strategic planning tool for decarbonizing district heating systems
Nina Kicherer1, Pablo Benalcazar2, Peter Lorenzen1
1Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Berliner Tor 5, 20099, Hamburg, Germany.
Methodsx
|March 10, 2025
Summary
Heat4Future is a new planning tool for district heating systems that uses minimal data for strategic planning. It helps assess decarbonized heat supply options, aiding the energy transition.
Area of Science:
- Energy Systems Engineering
- Sustainable Energy Planning
- Computational Modeling
Background:
- Strategic planning for district heating systems is crucial for the energy transition.
- Existing tools lack data accessibility in early planning stages.
- Decarbonizing heat supply requires innovative planning methodologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce Heat4Future, a novel planning tool for district heating systems.
- Enable strategic planning with minimal input data for decarbonized systems.
- Provide insights into potential renewable energy integration for district heating.
Main Methods:
- Developed a snapshot simulation model for district heating system configuration.
- Integrated four modules: Weather Data, Thermal Load, Storage, and Strategic Planning.
- Generated hourly profiles for heat load, generation, and storage over a year.
Main Results:
- Heat4Future offers an overview of decarbonized district heating possibilities.
- The tool simulates system performance using specified renewable energy sources.
- Cost-effective generation profiles are calculated based on annual heat demand.
Conclusions:
- Heat4Future facilitates strategic planning of decarbonized district heating.
- The tool supports decision-making in the early phases of energy transition projects.
- Open-source availability promotes wider adoption and development of sustainable heat planning.
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