PREFACE
The Backbone of a Sustainable Energy Future ENERGY STORAGE As the world transitions towards a more sustainable energy future, energy storage has become a critical component in the energy ecosystem. Energy storage systems provide the flexibility needed to balance supply and demand, integrate renewable energy sources, and enhance the reliability of our power grids. These systems can store energy during periods of low demand or high production, such as when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, and release it when needed, ensuring a continuous and stable energy supply. We find it crucial to communicate the importance of energy storage and smart energy systems. Understanding and implementing these technologies is vital as global energy consumption rises and the push toward decarbonization intensifies. Countries now planning and implementing enormous energy systems can benefit from adopting a cross-sector approach to cost-effective storage solutions integrating district heating into the equation.
We bring two articles within the scope of “Energy Storage”:
The article “Energy Storage and Smart Energy Systems” by Toke Kjær Christensen (rewritten based on a journal article) advocates for an integrated cross-sector approach (System Integration) to identify the most efficient and cost-effective storage solutions for a renewable energy system. It concludes that examining individual subsectors alone cannot determine optimal storage. Instead, integrating the electricity sector with other energy system components to create a Smart Energy System offers better alternatives for incorporating large, variable renewable energy inputs than relying solely on electricity storage. Second, we bring the article “The Possible Role of Seasonal Thermal Storage for Decarbonizing an Austrian District Heating Network” by a team at AIT, Austrian Institute of Technology with Senior Research Engineer Ralf-Roman Schmidt, Research and Development Engineer Gerhard Totschnig, and Junior Research Engineer Bernhard Mayr. The article argues that seasonal thermal storage is key in decarbonizing district heating networks, shifting excess heat in summer from industrial waste heat, geothermal energy, heat pumps, and solar thermal energy for the winter and contributing to covering the winter load, thus reducing fuel demand.
In summary, energy storage is not only a technological solution but a cornerstone of the future energy landscape.
Not all about Energy Storage This issue of Hot Cool is not all about energy storage. We also bring the in-depth article “The Missing Actor in the Heat Market: How to Fill the Gap in Germany and the Lessons to be Learned from the Danish Neighbor” by Susanne Schmelcher, Director of Department for Districts and Cities at the German Energy Agency GmbH. Do not miss the article “Clarification of the term District Heating Generations” in the article by Dr. Robin Wiltshire, Chair of the IEA DHC programme; Dr. Andrej Jentsch, IEA DHC Programme Manager, and Senior Consultant; Lars Gullev, Vice-chair, IEA DHC programme. Finally, we bring yet another article by Michele Tunzi, Associate Professor, DTU, about digitalization on the demand side, this time together with Tom Diget, Chief Operating Officer at Viborg DHC, Kees van der Veer, Vice President at Brunata, and Anders Nielsen, Application Manager at Grundfos. The article answers the question, “How Does the End- User’s Behavior Influence the Operating Temperatures in District Heating Networks?”
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Best regards
Lars Hummelmose, Managing Director, DBDH lh@dbdh.dk, +45 2990 0080
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