HOT|COOL NO. 1/2023 "AI & Digitalization"

have made large investments, is being challenged by po­ liticians and interest organizations, who question the avail- ability of sustainable biomass. The analysis concludes that a forced phasing out of biomass before 2030 is not technically and economically possible. It will be very expensive for the heating customers if non-depreciated CHP plants are closed, and it will put the security of the electricity supply on hold. In all scenarios, biomass use will be reduced both in 2030 and in 2050 as other technologies take over. It is also empha- sized that biomass provides flexibility and can supply heat in periods with high electricity prices, just as it contributes to the security of supply in cold months, when, for example, seawater heat pumps can have problems supplying heat. The "Future District Heating Supply in the Greater Copenhagen Area 2050" project has generated several background reports before the main and summary reports. You will find this mate- rial at https://varmeplanhovedstaden.dk/ - unfortunately, only in Danish. However, one thing is obvious - the future district heating sy­ stem in the capital area will change from a system based on a few central production units to a system with several decen- tralized production units. It will be a system characterized by greater integration with the electricity system than we know to day – including utilization of surplus heat from the capture and transport of CO2 and heat from PtX processes. Large district heating systems are, therefore, not something that belongs to the past but systems that are a prerequisite for us to use our energy resources responsibly in the future. Find facts about the four district heating companies, HOFOR, CTR, Vestforbrænding, and VEKS, in the article "District heating in Greater Copenhagen – history and status 2023."

heat storage capacity 3-6 times compared to today's level in the metropolitan area. Therefore approximately 8,000-24,000 MWh of new pit heat storage capacity and 4,000-8,000 MWh storage capacity in steel tanks must be built on the transmis- sion network by 2050. Today, the storage capacity in pressur- ized steel tanks is just under 70,000 m3, and a new pit heat storage of 70,000 m3 is being commissioned in early 2023. Summary It can be challenging to determine what the district heating system in the capital will look like in 2050. Still, the analyzes in "Future District Heating Supply in the Greater Copenhagen Area 2050" indicate the following: The current district heating system is robust and can ac- commodate a district heating supply based on multiple sources, where new technologies can be incorporated. The existing fossil solutions, to a certain extent, have low- er costs than the green solutions. A complete conversion of the district heating with green solutions is possible. Still, it risks becoming expensive, and therefore the conversion must be done so that the district heating can maintain its competitiveness. In scenarios with a large proportion of centrally located pro- duction, for example, in the form of PtX, investments in the district heating network may be needed to better utilize heat production from the production locations at the large central plants. The difference in the production composition in the sce- narios significantly affects the distribution between central and decentralized production. In the scenarios for 2050, be- tween 22% and 65% of the heat is produced decentralized in the distribution areas.

Sustainable biomass, which has been the key to the rapid phasing out of coal, and in which the heating companies

For further information please contact: Lars Gullev, lg@veks.dk

21 www.dbdh.dk

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