Activities

In order to reach the objectives, 4 main activities will be performed.

In Activity 1, two approaches will be addressed and demonstrated in 4 real networks to recover low temperature waste energy:

1. Direct waste heat recovery in low temperature DH networks

2. Waste heat recovery in high temperature DH networks by means of heat pumps

For each of the demonstration sites, prefabricated skids will be designed and manufactured, including all necessary hydraulics, electric and electronic components. The skids, designed to connect the waste heat source to the network, will be manufactured in selected factories before transportation on site and installation.

Prefabrication, standardisation and modularity will be distinctive, innovative design drivers guiding the developments. Thanks to this strategy, design and installation time and errors are minimised. Moreover, manufacturing costs reduction is pursued.

In Activity 2, management strategies will be assessed and simulated, accounting for the full complexity of the built environment, adjusting to old, refurbished and new buildings’ loads.

Within this activity the 4 demonstration networks will be used to infer viability, reliability and finally environmental and socio-economic impact scenarios by varying the project technologies’ penetration in the networks after project end.

Regarding Activity 3, the approach integrating distributed waste energy requires a change of paradigm to move forward from the actual “monopolistic” generation, as multiple actors can play both the role of energy consumer and provider, profiting economically from their waste heat provided to the network. Trading Schemes will be studied allowing thermal energy exchange on this “free-market”.

The elaboration of Trading Schemes will be supported by geo-localised data of waste and renewable heat sources available on the territory, gathered in a GIS tool developed.

In Activity 4, LIFE4HeatRecovery will analyse the Levelised Cost of Energy and Return On Investment of the demonstrated technologies when funded with a composition of infrastructural funds, large private investment funds and local citizen driven financing. Based on these results and on the Trading Schemes, financing solutions will be elaborated.

Hypothesis of DHC network based on the water-loop concept