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98-661: The Southampton District Energy Scheme is a district heating and cooling system in Southampton , United Kingdom . The system is owned and operated by ENGIE. In the 1980s the Department of Energy undertook a research and development programme to examine the potential of geothermal aquifers in the UK. However, after some initial success drilling a well in the Wessex Basin in 1981, it was deemed too small to be commercially viable. The project

196-417: A national security benefit because it can reduce the amount of energy that has to be imported from other countries. Energy efficiency and renewable energy go hand in hand for sustainable energy policies. They are high priority actions in the energy hierarchy . Energy productivity , which measures the output and quality of goods and services per unit of energy input, can come from either reducing

294-418: A socialist economy (such as in the former Eastern Bloc ) which lacked heat metering and means to adjust the heat delivery to each apartment. This led to great inefficiencies – users had to simply open windows when too hot – wasting energy and minimising the numbers of connectable customers. District heating systems can vary in size. Some systems cover entire cities such as Stockholm or Flensburg , using

392-683: A temperature of 76 °C (169 °F). The system initially supplied only the Southampton Civic Centre , but was gradually expanded to serve over 1,000 residential properties, as well as the WestQuay shopping centre, the Royal South Hants Hospital , Solent University and the Carnival offices ; and is part of an enlarged city centre district heating system that includes other combined heating, cooling and power sources. By 2007

490-472: A BAS to automatically update the plaque, providing a near-real-time view of performance. The USGBC office in Washington, D.C. is one of the first buildings to feature the live-updating LEED Dynamic Plaque. Industries use a large amount of energy to power a diverse range of manufacturing and resource extraction processes. Many industrial processes require large amounts of heat and mechanical power, most of which

588-459: A building allows it to use less heating and cooling energy while still maintaining a comfortable temperature . Another method is to remove energy subsidies that promote high energy consumption and inefficient energy use. Improved energy efficiency in buildings , industrial processes and transportation could reduce the world's energy needs in 2050 by one third. There are two main motivations to improve energy efficiency. Firstly, one motivation

686-464: A building can reduce the need for artificial lighting. Increased use of natural and task lighting has been shown by one study to increase productivity in schools and offices. Compact fluorescent lamps use two-thirds less energy and may last 6 to 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs . Newer fluorescent lights produce a natural light, and in most applications they are cost effective, despite their higher initial cost, with payback periods as low as

784-546: A building's compliance with the following criteria: Sustainable sites , water efficiency , energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design. In 2013, USGBC developed the LEED Dynamic Plaque, a tool to track building performance against LEED metrics and a potential path to recertification. The following year, the council collaborated with Honeywell to pull data on energy and water use, as well as indoor air quality from

882-504: A consistent heat output day to day and between summer and winter. Good examples are in Vojens at 50 MW, Dronninglund at 27 MW and Marstal at 13 MW in Denmark. These systems have been incrementally expanded to supply 10% to 40% of their villages' annual space heating needs. The solar-thermal panels are ground-mounted in fields. The heat storage is pit storage, borehole cluster and

980-428: A constant speed, but a variable speed drive allows the motor's energy output to match the required load. This achieves energy savings ranging from 3 to 60 percent, depending on how the motor is used. Motor coils made of superconducting materials can also reduce energy losses. Motors may also benefit from voltage optimization . Industry uses a large number of pumps and compressors of all shapes and sizes and in

1078-418: A documented methodology for calculating and reporting on energy savings and energy efficiency for countries and cities. The first EU-wide energy efficiency target was set in 1998. Member states agreed to improve energy efficiency by 1 percent a year over twelve years. In addition, legislation about products, industry, transport and buildings has contributed to a general energy efficiency framework. More effort

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1176-519: A few months. LED lamps use only about 10% of the energy an incandescent lamp requires. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system organized by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) to promote environmental responsibility in building design. They currently offer four levels of certification for existing buildings (LEED-EBOM) and new construction (LEED-NC) based on

1274-593: A flexible energy tax which rises as petrol prices fall, thereby incentivizing fuel conservation despite low oil prices. In Spain, four out of every five buildings use more energy than they should. They are either inadequately insulated or consume energy inefficiently. The Unión de Créditos Immobiliarios (UCI), which has operations in Spain and Portugal, is increasing loans to homeowners and building management groups for energy-efficiency initiatives. Their Residential Energy Rehabilitation initiative aims to remodel and encourage

1372-700: A hot water resource outside of Boise, Idaho. In 1892, after routing the water to homes and businesses in the area via a wooden pipeline, the first geothermal district heating system was created. As of a 2007 study, there were 22 geothermal district heating systems (GDHS) in the United States. As of 2010, two of those systems have shut down. The table below describes the 20 GDHS currently operational in America. Use of solar heat for district heating has been increasing in Denmark and Germany in recent years. The systems usually include inter seasonal thermal energy storage for

1470-446: A low-energy mode after a certain time. Many countries identify energy-efficient appliances using energy input labeling . The impact of energy efficiency on peak demand depends on when the appliance is used. For example, an air conditioner uses more energy during the afternoon when it is hot. Therefore, an energy-efficient air conditioner will have a larger impact on peak demand than off-peak demand. An energy-efficient dishwasher, on

1568-511: A low-temperature internal heat distribution system can install an efficient heat pump delivering heat output at 45 °C. An older building with a higher-temperature internal distribution system e.g. using radiators will require a high-temperature heat pump to deliver heat output. A larger example of a fifth generation heating and cooling grid is Mijnwater in Heerlen, the Netherlands. In this case

1666-1014: A net increase in resource use and associated pollution. These are examples of the direct rebound effect . Estimates of the size of the rebound effect range from roughly 5% to 40%. The rebound effect is likely to be less than 30% at the household level and may be closer to 10% for transport. A rebound effect of 30% implies that improvements in energy efficiency should achieve 70% of the reduction in energy consumption projected using engineering models. Modern appliances, such as, freezers , ovens , stoves , dishwashers , clothes washers and dryers, use significantly less energy than older appliances. Current energy-efficient refrigerators, for example, use 40 percent less energy than conventional models did in 2001. Following this, if all households in Europe changed their more than ten-year-old appliances into new ones, 20 billion kWh of electricity would be saved annually, hence reducing CO 2 emissions by almost 18 billion kg. In

1764-527: A network of large 1000 mm diameter primary pipes linked to secondary pipes – e.g. 200 mm diameter, which in turn link to tertiary pipes that might be of 25 mm diameter which might connect to 10 to 50 houses. Efficient energy use Efficient energy use , or energy efficiency , is the process of reducing the amount of energy required to provide products and services. There are many technologies and methods available that are more energy efficient than conventional systems. For example, insulating

1862-403: A new energy efficiency target of 27% or greater by 2030. One mechanism used to achieve the target of 27% is the 'Suppliers Obligations & White Certificates'. The ongoing debate around the 2016 Clean Energy Package also puts an emphasis on energy efficiency, but the goal will probably remain around 30% greater efficiency compared to 1990 levels. Some have argued that this will not be enough for

1960-486: A number of processes and energy services that are widely used in many industries. Various industries generate steam and electricity for subsequent use within their facilities. When electricity is generated, the heat that is produced as a by-product can be captured and used for process steam, heating or other industrial purposes. Conventional electricity generation is about 30% efficient, whereas combined heat and power (also called co-generation ) converts up to 90 percent of

2058-511: A per capita basis while national US consumption doubled. As part of its strategy, California implemented a "loading order" for new energy resources that puts energy efficiency first, renewable electricity supplies second, and new fossil-fired power plants last. States such as Connecticut and New York have created quasi-public Green Banks to help residential and commercial building-owners finance energy efficiency upgrades that reduce emissions and cut consumers' energy costs. Energy conservation

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2156-477: A significant rise in energy efficiency investments reported by SMEs and mid-cap companies. Energy efficiency is central to energy policy in Germany . As of late 2015, national policy includes the following efficiency and consumption targets (with actual values for 2014): Recent progress toward improved efficiency has been steady aside from the financial crisis of 2007–08 . Some however believe energy efficiency

2254-542: A significant role, both between improved vehicle efficiency and the distance travelled, and between improved vehicle efficiency and an increase in vehicle weights and engine power. In 2014, the German federal government released its National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPE). The areas covered are the energy efficiency of buildings, energy conservation for companies, consumer energy efficiency, and transport energy efficiency. The central short-term measures of NAPE include

2352-499: A steel heat service pipe, an insulating layer ( polyurethane foam) and a polyethylene (PE) casing, which are bonded by the insulating material. While polyurethane has outstanding mechanical and thermal properties, the high toxicity of the diisocyanates required for its manufacturing has caused a restriction on their use. This has triggered research on alternative insulating foam fitting the application, which include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene (PB-1). Within

2450-735: A suburb of the country's capital between 1964 and 1974. The Beznau Nuclear Power Plant in Switzerland has been generating electricity since 1969 and supplying district heating since 1984. The Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant in China started operating in 2018 and started supplying small scale heat to the Haiyang city area in 2020. By November 2022, the plant used 345 MW-thermal effect to heat 200,000 homes, replacing 12 coal heating plants. Recent years have seen renewed interest in small modular reactors (SMRs) and their potential to supply district heating. Speaking on

2548-664: A wide variety of applications. The efficiency of pumps and compressors depends on many factors but often improvements can be made by implementing better process control and better maintenance practices. Compressors are commonly used to provide compressed air which is used for sand blasting, painting, and other power tools. According to the US Department of Energy, optimizing compressed air systems by installing variable speed drives, along with preventive maintenance to detect and fix air leaks, can improve energy efficiency 20 to 50 percent. The estimated energy efficiency for an automobile

2646-479: Is 280 Passenger-Mile/10 Btu. There are several ways to enhance a vehicle's energy efficiency. Using improved aerodynamics to minimize drag can increase vehicle fuel efficiency . Reducing vehicle weight can also improve fuel economy, which is why composite materials are widely used in car bodies. More advanced tires, with decreased tire to road friction and rolling resistance, can save gasoline. Fuel economy can be improved by up to 3.3% by keeping tires inflated to

2744-400: Is a significant change in lowering the carbon footprint . A building's location and surroundings play a key role in regulating its temperature and illumination. For example, trees, landscaping, and hills can provide shade and block wind. In cooler climates, designing northern hemisphere buildings with south facing windows and southern hemisphere buildings with north facing windows increases

2842-458: Is because they make energy services cheaper, and so consumption of those services increases. For example, since fuel efficient vehicles make travel cheaper, consumers may choose to drive farther, thereby offsetting some of the potential energy savings. Similarly, an extensive historical analysis of technological efficiency improvements has conclusively shown that energy efficiency improvements were almost always outpaced by economic growth, resulting in

2940-417: Is broader than energy efficiency in including active efforts to decrease energy consumption, for example through behaviour change , in addition to using energy more efficiently. Examples of conservation without efficiency improvements are heating a room less in winter, using the car less, air-drying your clothes instead of using the dryer, or enabling energy saving modes on a computer. As with other definitions,

3038-438: Is delivered as natural gas , petroleum fuels , and electricity . In addition some industries generate fuel from waste products that can be used to provide additional energy. Because industrial processes are so diverse it is impossible to describe the multitude of possible opportunities for energy efficiency in industry. Many depend on the specific technologies and processes in use at each industrial facility. There are, however,

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3136-486: Is dictated by whatever process (such as coal-burning, hydroelectric, or renewable source) created the power. Plug-ins can typically drive for around 40 miles (64 km) purely on electricity without recharging; if the battery runs low, a gas engine kicks in allowing for extended range. Finally, all-electric cars are also growing in popularity; the Tesla Model S sedan is the only high-performance all-electric car currently on

3234-448: Is expected to be able to cover approximately 20% of the district heating demand in Aarhus. United States Direct use geothermal district heating systems, which tap geothermal reservoirs and distribute the hot water to multiple buildings for a variety of uses, are uncommon in the United States, but have existed in America for over a century. In 1890, the first wells were drilled to access

3332-593: Is extracted from seawater (from 60-foot (18 m) depth) that is 8 to 9 °C all year round, giving an average coefficient of performance (COP) of about 3.15. In the process the seawater is chilled to 4 °C; however, this resource is not used. In a district system where the chilled water could be used for air conditioning, the effective COP would be considerably higher. In the future, industrial heat pumps will be further de-carbonised by using, on one side, excess renewable electrical energy (otherwise spilled due to meeting of grid demand) from wind, solar, etc. and, on

3430-419: Is generally reported to be relatively low, such as 1% (compared to 25% for supermarket cooling systems). A 30-megawatt heatpump could therefore leak (annually) around 75 kg of R134a or other working fluid. However, recent technical advances allow the use of natural heat pump refrigerants that have very low global warming potential (GWP). CO 2 refrigerant (R744, GWP=1) or ammonia (R717, GWP=0) also have

3528-498: Is much wind energy or providing electricity from biomass plants when back-up power is needed. Therefore, large scale heat pumps are regarded as a key technology for smart energy systems with high shares of renewable energy up to 100% and advanced fourth generation district heating systems. A fifth generation district heating and cooling network (5GDHC), also called cold district heating , distributes heat at near ambient ground temperature: this in principle minimizes heat losses to

3626-579: Is needed to address heating and cooling: there is more heat wasted during electricity production in Europe than is required to heat all buildings in the continent. All in all, EU energy efficiency legislation is estimated to deliver savings worth the equivalent of up to 326 million tons of oil per year by 2020. The EU set itself a 20% energy savings target by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, but member states decide individually how energy savings will be achieved. At an EU summit in October 2014, EU countries agreed on

3724-482: Is not only equivalent to a 1.4-liter 16v engine, but fuel consumption is 30% lower." Energy-efficient vehicles may reach twice the fuel efficiency of the average automobile. Cutting-edge designs, such as the diesel Mercedes-Benz Bionic concept vehicle have achieved a fuel efficiency as high as 84 miles per US gallon (2.8 L/100 km; 101 mpg ‑imp ), four times the current conventional automotive average. The mainstream trend in automotive efficiency

3822-446: Is still under-recognized in terms of its contribution to Germany's energy transformation (or Energiewende ). Efforts to reduce final energy consumption in transport sector have not been successful, with a growth of 1.7% between 2005 and 2014. This growth is due to both road passenger and road freight transport. Both sectors increased their overall distance travelled to record the highest figures ever for Germany. Rebound effects played

3920-548: Is the Drammen Fjernvarme District Heating project in Norway which produces 14 MW from water at just 8 °C, industrial heat pumps are demonstrated heat sources for district heating networks. Among the ways that industrial heat pumps can be used are: Concerns have existed about the use of hydrofluorocarbons as the working fluid (refrigerant) for large heat pumps. Whilst leakage is not usually measured, it

4018-628: Is the National Partnership Agreement on Energy Efficiency. In August 2017, the Government of Canada released Build Smart - Canada's Buildings Strategy, as a key driver of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change , Canada's national climate strategy. A 2011 Energy Modeling Forum study covering the United States examined how energy efficiency opportunities will shape future fuel and electricity demand over

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4116-444: Is the burning of hydrocarbons . As the supply of renewable fuels is insufficient, the fossil fuels coal and gas are massively used for district heating. This burning of fossil hydrocarbons usually contributes to climate change , as the use of systems to capture and store the CO 2 instead of releasing it into the atmosphere is rare. In the case of a cogeneration plant, the heat output

4214-555: Is the rise of electric vehicles (all-electric or hybrid electric). Electric engines have more than double the efficiency of internal combustion engines. Hybrids, like the Toyota Prius , use regenerative braking to recapture energy that would dissipate in normal cars; the effect is especially pronounced in city driving. Plug-in hybrids also have increased battery capacity, which makes it possible to drive for limited distances without burning any gasoline; in this case, energy efficiency

4312-432: Is to achieve cost savings during the operation of the appliance or process. However, installing an energy-efficient technology comes with an upfront cost, the capital cost . The different types of costs can be analyzed and compared with a life-cycle assessment . Another motivation for energy efficiency is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and hence work towards climate action . A focus on energy efficiency can also have

4410-406: Is typically sized to meet half of the peak winter heat load, but over the year will provide 90% of the heat supplied. Much of the heat produced in summer will generally be wasted. The boiler capacity will be able to meet the entire heat demand unaided and can cover for breakdowns in the cogeneration plant. It is not economic to size the cogeneration plant alone to be able to meet the full heat load. In

4508-562: The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference , one of the adopted declaration was the GLOBAL RENEWABLES AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY PLEDGE signed by 123 countries. The declaration includes obligations to consider energy efficiency as "first fuel" and double the rate of increase in energy efficiency from 2% per year to 4% per year by the year 2030. China and India did not signed this pledge. International standards ISO   17743 and ISO   17742 provide

4606-460: The Council of Australian Governments , which represents the individual states and territories of Australia, agreed to a National Strategy on Energy Efficiency (NSEE). This is a ten-year plan accelerating the implementation of a nationwide adoption of energy-efficient practices and a preparation for the country's transformation into a low carbon future. The overriding agreement that governs this strategy

4704-462: The Energy Impact Center 's (EIC) podcast, Titans of Nuclear , principal engineer at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Christer Dahlgren noted that district heating could be the impetus for the construction of new nuclear power plants in the future. EIC's own open-source SMR blueprint design, OPEN100 , could be incorporated into a district heating system. History Geothermal district heating

4802-569: The New York City steam system , that is around 2.5 GW. Germany has the largest amount of CHP in Europe. A simple thermal power station can be 20–35% efficient, whereas a more advanced facility with the ability to recover waste heat can reach total energy efficiency of nearly 80%. Some may approach 100% based on the lower heating value by condensing the flue gas as well. The heat produced by nuclear chain reactions can be injected into district heating networks. This does not contaminate

4900-421: The thermal efficiency of cogeneration plants is significantly lower if the cooling medium is high-temperature steam, reducing electric power generation. Heat transfer oils are generally not used for district heating, although they have higher heat capacities than water, as they are expensive and have environmental issues. At customer level the heat network is usually connected to the central heating system of

4998-496: The "first fuel", meaning the ability to replace or avoid the consumption of actual fuels. In fact, International Energy Agency has calculated that the application of energy efficiency measures in the years 1974-2010 has succeeded in avoiding more energy consumption in its member states than is the consumption of any particular fuel, including fossil fuels (i.e. oil, coal and natural gas). Moreover, it has long been recognized that energy efficiency brings other benefits additional to

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5096-491: The 1930s and was built until the 1970s. It burned coal and oil, and the energy was transmitted through pressurized hot water as the heat carrier. The systems usually had supply temperatures above 100 °C, and used water pipes in concrete ducts, mostly assembled on site, and heavy equipment. A main reason for these systems was the primary energy savings, which arose from using combined heat and power plants. While also used in other countries, typical systems of this generation were

5194-563: The EU to meet its Paris Agreement goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels. In the European Union, 78% of enterprises proposed energy-saving methods in 2023, 67% listed energy contract renegotiation as a strategy, and 62% stated passing on costs to consumers as a plan to deal with energy market trends. Larger organisations were found more likely to invest in energy efficiency, green innovation, and climate change, with

5292-478: The Paris Agreement's goals. Energy can be conserved by increasing the technical efficiency of appliances, vehicles, industrial processes, and buildings. If the demand for energy services remains constant, improving energy efficiency will reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. However, many efficiency improvements do not reduce energy consumption by the amount predicted by simple engineering models. This

5390-662: The Soviet-style district heating systems that were built after WW2 in several countries in Eastern Europe. In the 1970s the third generation was developed and was subsequently used in most of the following systems all over the world. This generation is also called the "Scandinavian district heating technology", because many of the district heating component manufacturers are based in Scandinavia. The third generation uses prefabricated, pre-insulated pipes, which are directly buried into

5488-468: The US, the corresponding figures would be 17 billion kWh of electricity and 27,000,000,000 lb (1.2 × 10  kg) CO 2 . According to a 2009 study from McKinsey & Company the replacement of old appliances is one of the most efficient global measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Modern power management systems also reduce energy usage by idle appliances by turning them off or putting them into

5586-467: The air around the car, which can affect the efficiency of the energy expended. Turbochargers can increase fuel efficiency by allowing a smaller displacement engine. The 'Engine of the year 2011' is the Fiat TwinAir engine equipped with an MHI turbocharger. "Compared with a 1.2-liter 8v engine, the new 85 HP turbo has 23% more power and a 30% better performance index. The performance of the two-cylinder

5684-430: The ambient circuit is preferably controlled by heat exchange with an aquifer or another low temperature water source to remain within a temperature range from 10 °C to 25 °C. While network piping for ambient ground temperature networks is less expensive to install per pipe diameter than in earlier generations, as it does not need the same degree of insulation for the piping circuits, it has to be kept in mind that

5782-439: The amount of energy required to produce something, or from increasing the quantity or quality of goods and services from the same amount of energy. From the point of view of an energy consumer , the main motivation of energy efficiency is often simply saving money by lowering the cost of purchasing energy. Additionally, from an energy policy point of view, there has been a long trend in a wider recognition of energy efficiency as

5880-479: The amount of sun (ultimately heat energy) entering the building, minimizing energy use, by maximizing passive solar heating . Tight building design, including energy-efficient windows, well-sealed doors, and additional thermal insulation of walls, basement slabs, and foundations can reduce heat loss by 25 to 50 percent. Dark roofs may become up to 39 °C (70 °F) hotter than the most reflective white surfaces . They transmit some of this additional heat inside

5978-449: The benefit, depending on operating conditions, of resulting in higher heat pump efficiency than conventional refrigerants. An example is a 14 MW(thermal) district heating network in Drammen , Norway, which is supplied by seawater-source heatpumps that use R717 refrigerant, and has been operating since 2011. 90 °C water is delivered to the district loop (and returns at 65 °C). Heat

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6076-486: The boundary between efficient energy use and energy conservation can be fuzzy, but both are important in environmental and economic terms. Energy efficiency—using less energy to deliver the same goods or services, or delivering comparable services with less goods—is a cornerstone of many sustainable energy strategies. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated that increasing energy efficiency could achieve 40% of greenhouse gas emission reductions needed to fulfil

6174-437: The building. US Studies have shown that lightly colored roofs use 40 percent less energy for cooling than buildings with darker roofs. White roof systems save more energy in sunnier climates. Advanced electronic heating and cooling systems can moderate energy consumption and improve the comfort of people in the building. Proper placement of windows and skylights as well as the use of architectural features that reflect light into

6272-488: The centuries, the first commercially successful district heating system was launched in Lockport , New York , in 1877 by American hydraulic engineer Birdsill Holly , considered the founder of modern district heating. Generally, all modern district heating systems are demand driven, meaning that the heat supplier reacts to the demand from the consumers and ensures that there is sufficient temperature and water pressure to deliver

6370-540: The combustion of fossil hydrocarbons. However, only a small minority of the nuclear reactors currently in operation around the world are connected to a district heating network. These reactors are in Bulgaria, China, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine. The Ågesta Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden was an early example of nuclear cogeneration, providing small quantities of both heat and electricity to

6468-467: The correct pressure. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve a cars fuel consumption by as much as 10 percent on older vehicles. On newer vehicles (1980s and up) with fuel-injected, computer-controlled engines, a clogged air filter has no effect on mpg but replacing it may improve acceleration by 6-11 percent. Aerodynamics also aid in efficiency of a vehicle. The design of a car impacts the amount of gas needed to move it through air. Aerodynamics involves

6566-423: The demanded heat to the users. The five generations have defining features that sets them apart from the prior generations. The feature of each generation can be used to give an indication of the development status of an existing district heating system. The first generation was a steam-based system fueled by coal and was first introduced in the US in the 1880s and became popular in some European countries, too. It

6664-658: The distinguishing feature is a unique access to an abandoned water-filled coal mine within the city boundary that provides a stable heat source for the system. A fifth generation network ("Balanced Energy Network", BEN) was installed in 2016 at two large buildings of the London South Bank University as a research and development project. District heating networks exploit various energy sources, sometimes indirectly through multipurpose infrastructure such as combined heat and power plants (CHP, also called co-generation). The most used energy source for district heating

6762-966: The district heating by providing high flexibility to the electricity system. According to the review by Lund et al. those systems have to have the following abilities: Compared to the previous generations the temperature levels have been reduced to increase the energy efficiency of the system, with supply side temperatures of 70 °C and lower. Potential heat sources are waste heat from industry, CHP plants burning waste, biomass power plants , geothermal and solar thermal energy (central solar heating), large scale heat pumps , waste heat from cooling purposes and data centers and other sustainable energy sources. With those energy sources and large scale thermal energy storage , including seasonal thermal energy storage , fourth generation district heating systems are expected to provide flexibility for balancing wind and solar power generation, for example by using heat pumps to integrate surplus electric power as heat when there

6860-497: The district pipes with radioactive elements, as the heat is transferred to the network through heat exchangers . It is not technically necessary for the nuclear reactor to be very close to the district heating network, as heat can be transported over significant distances (exceeding 200 km) with affordable losses, using insulated pipes . Since nuclear reactors do not significantly contribute to either air pollution or global warming , they can be an advantageous alternative to

6958-480: The dwellings via heat exchangers (heat substations): the working fluids of both networks (generally water or steam) do not mix. However, direct connection is used in the Odense system. Typical annual loss of thermal energy through distribution is around 10%, as seen in Norway's district heating network. The amount of heat provided to customers is often recorded with a heat meter to encourage conservation and maximize

7056-734: The electrical production having much higher rates of return than heat production, whilst storing the excess heat production. It also allows solar heat to be collected in summer and redistributed off season in very large but relatively low-cost in-ground insulated reservoirs or borehole systems. The expected heat loss at the 203,000m³ insulated pond in Vojens is about 8%. With European countries such as Germany and Denmark moving to very high levels (80% and 100% respectively by 2050) of renewable energy for all energy uses there will be increasing periods of excess production of renewable electrical energy. Heat pumps can take advantage of this surplus of cheap electricity to store heat for later use. Such coupling of

7154-540: The electricity sector with the heating sector ( Power-to-X ) is regarded as a key factor for energy systems with high shares of renewable energy. After generation, the heat is distributed to the customer via a network of insulated pipes. District heating systems consist of feed and return lines. Usually the pipes are installed underground but there are also systems with overground pipes. The DH system's start-up and shut downs, as well as fluctuations on heat demand and ambient temperature, induce thermal and mechanical cycling on

7252-468: The energy mix. For example, Paris has been using geothermal heating from a 55–70 °C source 1–2 km below the surface for domestic heating since the 1970s. Currently, the fourth generation is being developed, with the transition to fourth generation already in process in Denmark . The fourth generation is designed to combat climate change and integrate high shares of variable renewable energy into

7350-579: The fuel into usable energy. Advanced boilers and furnaces can operate at higher temperatures while burning less fuel. These technologies are more efficient and produce fewer pollutants. Over 45 percent of the fuel used by US manufacturers is burnt to make steam. The typical industrial facility can reduce this energy usage 20 percent (according to the US Department of Energy ) by insulating steam and condensate return lines, stopping steam leakage, and maintaining steam traps. Electric motors usually run at

7448-421: The ground and operates with lower temperatures, usually below 100 °C. A primary motivation for building these systems was security of supply by improving the energy efficiency after the two oil crises led to disruption of the oil supply. Therefore, those systems usually used coal, biomass and waste as energy sources, in preference to oil. In some systems, geothermal energy and solar energy are also used in

7546-450: The ground and reduces the need for extensive insulation. Each building on the network uses a heat pump in its own plant room to extract heat from the ambient circuit when it needs heat, and uses the same heat pump in reverse to reject heat when it needs cooling. In periods of simultaneous cooling and heating demands this allows waste heat from cooling to be used in heat pumps at those buildings which need heating. The overall temperature within

7644-721: The hot water-heated baths and greenhouses of the ancient Roman Empire . A hot water distribution system in Chaudes-Aigues in France is generally regarded as the first real district heating system. It used geothermal energy to provide heat for about 30 houses and started operation in the 14th century. The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis began steam district heating service in 1853. MIT began coal -fired steam district heating in 1916 when it moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts . Although these and numerous other systems have operated over

7742-466: The individualization of the heat generation. This critical system has a significant impact when comparing the efficiencies between the different generations, as the individualization of the heat generation moves the comparison from being a simple distribution system efficiency comparison to a supply system efficiency comparison, where both the heat generation efficiency as well as the distribution system efficiency needs to be included. A modern building with

7840-457: The introduction of competitive tendering for energy efficiency, the raising of funding for building renovation, the introduction of tax incentives for efficiency measures in the building sector, and the setting up energy efficiency networks together with business and industry. In 2016, the German government released a green paper on energy efficiency for public consultation (in German). It outlines

7938-430: The lower temperature difference of the pipe network leads to significantly larger pipe diameters than in prior generations. Due to the requirement of each connected building in the fifth generation district heating and cooling systems to have their own heat pump the system can be used both as a heat source or a heat sink for the heat pump, depending on if it is operated in a heating and cooling mode. As with prior generations

8036-773: The market. Cities around the globe light up millions of streets with 300 million lights. Some cities are seeking to reduce street light power consumption by dimming lights during off-peak hours or switching to LED lamps. LED lamps are known to reduce the energy consumption by 50% to 80%. There are several ways to improve aviation's use of energy through modifications aircraft and air traffic management. Aircraft improve with better aerodynamics, engines and weight. Seat density and cargo load factors contribute to efficiency. Air traffic management systems can allow automation of takeoff, landing, and collision avoidance, as well as within airports, from simple things like HVAC and lighting to more complex tasks such as security and scanning. At

8134-400: The monetary value of these multiple benefits have been developed, including e.g. the choice experiment method for improvements that have a subjective component (such as aesthetics or comfort) and Tuominen-Seppänen method for price risk reduction. When included in the analysis, the economic benefit of energy efficiency investments can be shown to be significantly higher than simply the value of

8232-431: The number of customers which can be served, but such meters are expensive. Due to the expense of heat metering, an alternative approach is simply to meter the water – water meters are much cheaper than heat meters, and have the advantage of encouraging consumers to extract as much heat as possible, leading to a very low return temperature, which increases the efficiency of power generation. Many systems were installed under

8330-415: The other hand, uses more energy during the late evening when people do their dishes. This appliance may have little to no impact on peak demand. Over the period 2001–2021, tech companies have replaced traditional silicon switches in an electric circuit with quicker gallium nitride transistors to make new gadgets as energy efficient as feasible. Gallium nitride transistors are, however, more costly. This

8428-399: The other side, by making more of renewable heat sources (lake and ocean heat, geothermal, etc.). Furthermore, higher efficiency can be expected through operation on the high voltage network. Increasingly large heat stores are being used with district heating networks to maximise efficiency and financial returns. This allows cogeneration units to be run at times of maximum electrical tariff,

8526-414: The pipe network is an infrastructure that in principle provides an open access for various low temperature heat sources, such as ambient heat, ambient water from rivers, lakes, sea, or lagoons, and waste heat from industrial or commercial sources. Based on the above description it is clear that there is a fundamental difference between the 5GDHC and the prior generations of district heating, particularly in

8624-514: The pipes due to the thermal expansion. The axial expansion of the pipes is partially counteracted by frictional forces acting between the ground and the casing, with the shear stresses transferred through the PU foam bond. Therefore, the use of pre- insulated pipes has simplified the laying methods, employing cold laying instead of expansion facilities like compensators or U-bends, being so more cost effective. Pre-insulated pipes sandwich assembly composed of

8722-538: The potential challenges and actions needed to reduce energy consumption in Germany over the coming decades. At the document's launch, economics and energy minister Sigmar Gabriel said "we do not need to produce, store, transmit and pay for the energy that we save". The green paper prioritizes the efficient use of energy as the "first" response and also outlines opportunities for sector coupling , including using renewable power for heating and transport. Other proposals include

8820-475: The reduction of energy consumption. Some estimates of the value of these other benefits, often called multiple benefits , co-benefits , ancillary benefits or non-energy benefits , have put their summed value even higher than that of the direct energy benefits. These multiple benefits of energy efficiency include things such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions , reduced air pollution and improved health, and improved energy security . Methods for calculating

8918-440: The saved energy. Energy efficiency has proved to be a cost-effective strategy for building economies without necessarily increasing energy consumption . For example, the state of California began implementing energy-efficiency measures in the mid-1970s, including building code and appliance standards with strict efficiency requirements. During the following years, California's energy consumption has remained approximately flat on

9016-535: The system had 11 km (6.8 miles) of pipes, and was producing 40   GWh of heat, 22   GWh of electricity and 8   GWh of cooling per year. By 2014 the system provided 7   MW CHP , 2   MW of geothermal power, and 1   MW from biomass, saving 12,000   tons CO 2 per year. District heating District heating is ranked number 27 in Project Drawdown 's 100 solutions to global warming . District heating traces its roots to

9114-399: The system heat storage units may be installed to even out peak load demands. The common medium used for heat distribution is water or superheated water , but steam is also used. The advantage of steam is that in addition to heating purposes it can be used in industrial processes due to its higher temperature. The disadvantage of steam is a higher heat loss due to the high temperature. Also,

9212-609: The traditional water tank. In Alberta, Canada the Drake Landing Solar Community has achieved a world record 97% annual solar fraction for heating needs, using solar-thermal panels on the garage roofs and thermal storage in a borehole cluster. In Stockholm, the first heat pump was installed in 1977 to deliver district heating sourced from IBM servers. Today the installed capacity is about 660 MW heat, using treated sewage water, sea water, district cooling, data centers and grocery stores as heat sources. Another example

9310-479: The use of renewable energy in at least 3720 homes in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville. The works are expected to mobilize around €46.5 million in energy efficiency upgrades by 2025 and save approximately 8.1 GWh of energy. It has the ability to reduce carbon emissions by 7,545 tonnes per year. In May 2016 Poland adopted a new Act on Energy Efficiency, to enter into force on 1   October 2016. In July 2009,

9408-475: Was abandoned by the Department of Energy, but Southampton City Council took the decision to create the UK's first geothermal power scheme. This was undertaken as part of a plan to become a "self sustaining city" in energy generation, promoted by City Council officer Mike Smith and council leader Alan Whitehead . Pumping started in 1986 from the Wessex Basin aquifer at a depth of 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and

9506-462: Was state of the art until the 1930s. These systems piped very high-temperature steam through concrete ducts, and were therefore not very efficient, reliable, or safe. Nowadays, this generation is technologically outdated. However, some of these systems are still in use, for example in New York or Paris. Other systems originally built have subsequently been upgraded. The second generation was developed in

9604-552: Was used in Pompeii , and in Chaudes-Aigues since the 14th century. Denmark Denmark has one geothermal plant in operation in Thisted since 1984. Two other plants are now closed, located in Copenhagen (2005-2019), and Sønderborg (2013-2018). Both suffered issues with fine sand and blockages The country's first large-scale plant is being developed near Aarhus, and by the end of 2030, it

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