DecarbonDHS – Decarbonization of District Heating Systems aims to promote the decarbonization of district heating systems and facilitate the transition towards sustainable and low-carbon solutions, by integrating renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, utilizing waste heat from industry and incorporating energy storage technologies.

The heating and cooling sector consumes about half of the EU’s energy, where 12% of heating is delivered by district heating systems. The latter are fuelled mainly using coal and natural gas. Effective substitution of fossil fuels for heating/cooling systems is needed in respect to strategic goals: decarbonization, climate mitigation and reducing the ecological footprint, as well as energy security – reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, including from hostile countries.

There are several key challenges in the field of district heating (DH), especially in large cities, that need to be considered: aging infrastructure, energy efficiency (heat losses, grid optimization and waste heat utilisation), integration of renewable energy, heat demand fluctuations, high initial (investment) costs, regulations and policy, decentralization and smart grids, heat prices and its affordability.

Addressing these challenges requires a combination of technological advancements, policy support, public awareness, and collaboration among stakeholders, including policy makers, city authorities, heat and energy providers, urban planners, researchers and residents.

DecarbonDHS targets the following stakeholders: local communities, municipal administration and experts, local and regional authorities, local/regional and national policy makers, including ministries of the energy and environment and politicians, as well as environmental protection agencies and industry (heat/energy providing companies).

DecarbonDHS consortium includes 8 partners from Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Denmark and Sweden. The Lead Partner is the Institute of Fluid-Flow Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN).