– Nike said, and then Baden Württemberg made a heat plan
By: Morten Jordt Duedahl, Business Development Manager, DBDH
Good heat planning will identify which areas are best suited for specific heating solutions and which should have other solutions - to benefit end-users, investors, and the municipality in general. It protects against double-up on unnecessary expensive infrastructure-systems. Cities lookintotheproduct catalog of zero-emission- solutions, and soon they findDHas themost proven andwell-documentedway to reach their targets.
More and more cities, regions, and countries set a clear target for a sustainable fossil-free or carbon-neutral future. But big dreams are hard to achieve even though plans are extensive. Planning and stakeholder engagement are vital factors for achieving a city's goals – not least when it involves large infrastructure investments like district heating (DH). Two European regions have recently started making heat plans for taking them a crucial step closer to their goals. One, in Scotland, for implementing a zoning regime for district heating. The other, Baden Württemberg, where the 103 largest municipalities are obligated to make heat plans soon (not district heating plans), is an example of how national or regional authorities "help" local authorities get started. ‘Nike says it quite clearly – “Just do it!” Just that is the short possible way to present the outcome from a project we have done with Baden Wurttemberg on heat planning and stakeholder engagement’. Morten Duedahl, DBDH Heat planning will benefit many people Well performed heat planning gives building developers certainty about what to expect in the future. It provides DH investors security for their investment (in Denmark, most often the community or the city) and the customers to have their homes heated best possible. With a plan, "we know we do the right thing!" It assures local authorities for their city to develop the way they intended. So, heat planning can, and should, be an active, value-creating exercise integrated into the cities over-all planning. Heat planning is finding the best possible solution for a city living up to its aspirations, i.e., sustainability, no pollution, low heat costs, the security of supply, a liveable city – and a great place to live with everything that can be added to that equation like no pollution, low heat costs, security of supply and much more.
In Denmark, a heat plan must demonstrate its value in three segments:
• the DH company • the end users (the customers) • to society as a whole
If it is not beneficial for the customers, no one will buy it – and only complaints are piling up. If not beneficial for the DH company, it will lose money and eventually go bankrupt or increase existing customers' prices. If not beneficial for society overall, the DH project cannot be legally approved as it is not acceptable if it has a negative effect on the rest of society. It is in no way an easy-to-do calculation. There is a set way of calculating heat plan and project value in Denmark, considering the Danish framework conditions and the general background of rules and traditions in Denmark.
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