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2025
Journal Article
Title
Achieving climate neutrality in district heating: The impact of system temperature levels on the supply mix of EU-27 in 2050
Abstract
District heating (DH) systems are a critical component of the EU's strategy to achieve climate neutrality in the heating sector by 2050. Lowering the system temperature levels in district heating systems is acknowledged as a key facilitator for integrating renewable energy sources, thereby advancing the decarbonisation of the DH sector. However, the impact of system temperature levels on a decarbonised pan-European level DH sector remains underexplored. This paper investigates the effect of system temperatures on the DH supply mix of EU-27 in 2050. Through an extensive scenario analysis, we show that reducing system temperature levels can reduce the levelized cost of heat generation by 20 %. We find that large-scale heat pumps and geothermal energy plants are key technologies, particularly effective in low-temperature DH systems. Conversely, wastewater heat pumps and biomass tend to be more favourable for high-temperature scenarios. Geothermal energy exhibits potential in low-temperature systems but faces barriers of high initial capital costs. The role of hydrogen is found to be marginal, and biomass's role is highly sensitive to its price. From a policy perspective, our analysis indicates that targeted investments and regulations are needed to accelerate the transition to low-temperature systems, enabling the incorporation of more sustainable technologies.
Author(s)
Kök, Ali
Technische Universität Wien, Institute of Energy Systems and Electrical Drives, Energy Economics Group
Open Access
Rights
CC BY 4.0: Creative Commons Attribution
Language
English