Energy price assessment associated with District Heating in Europe

The energy price assessment provides a review of the fuel types and their costs for the main heat production systems and primary energy sources associated with District Heating (DH) systems in Europe. A review of heat production technologies and fuels is presented in this review where the present, medium, and long-term energy costs for district heating networks are identified.

The 4th generation District Heating and ULTDH have shown to be highly efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective solution for heating and cooling. But to achieve this, conversion of DHNs is needed.

To facilitate the conversion towards ULTDH, the RELaTED project has developed an innovative concept of decentralized ULTDH networks, which allows for the incorporation of low-grade heat sources with minimal constraints. But to increase the uptake of this system, it is vital to ensure the economic viability for DH systems in their transition to ULTDH.

The RELaTED project has addressed this issue in its Economic feasibility & business analysis. The report summaries of the main findings for this WP related to the profitable operation of the RELaTED DH networks. The energy price assessment is one of the topics included in the report D4.6. The following study presents a review of heat production technologies and fuels. The document also identifies the present, medium, and long-term energy costs and business cases for DH.