RELaTED newsletter No 8 is out

“RELaTED project has proven that de-carbonised and efficient district heating can be achieved”

In this 8th editio for the RELaTED project’s newsletter, Roberto Garay, RELaTED Project Coordinator, summarises what RELaTED has achieved since 2017.

At that time, partners could envision a future where de-carbonised and efficient district heating could be achieved. They have actually done so. By the end of 2021, they have proven the feasibility of the RELaTED concept. Furthermore, they have applied it in several networks representative of the diverse District Heating context in Europe.

With progressive distribution temperature reductions, the experience in the Tarkon area is now extended over the full DH network in Tartu. With the local partner GREN, RELaTED has already tested the capacity to reduce distribution network loss by ca 5%.

Belgrade has seen the renovation of the DH network in Vinogradski Venac. With this modernization, the partner BEOELEK has proven the capacity to deliver heating to existing consumers without changes to their internal heat distribution systems.

For new networks, VINGE is the seed network. Already operating at low temperature, it will be escalated from a handful of consumers to a full city-scale network. Already with rising connections, project partner DTI has collaborated in gathering the experience in the commissioning of the initial systems. It shall serve to improve the process of specification, construction, commissioning, and operation of the systems for the new buildings to come.

In Iurreta, a full renovation of a corporate network in 2021 shall demonstrate its capacity to operate with large fractions of de-carbonized heat in the coming years.

All this comes together with the integration of Triple Function Substations, District-heating connected Reversible Heat Pumps and Los Temperature Solar Thermal Systems. The interventions in Iurreta, the United Nations School in Belgrade and the Energy Flex Houses are landmark projects which shall demonstrate their potentialities.