HEAT 4.0 takes the district heating sector into the next digital level Useful results for further digital developments
In the later years, dynamic changes in society and the demand for energy-efficient solutions pushes the energy sector towards digitalization. The HEAT 4.0 provides access to new digital inventions on a cooperative basis and has taken a huge leap to secure data exchange in a common system-independent infrastructure.
1. The first andmost straightforwardmethod lets the individual IT models/software share their data insights, called peer-to- peer (p2p). For example, consumers (buildings) share their heating demand forecast with the network component (dis- tribution). The network software can include this information to improve the correctness of its own model. It can hereafter share its predicted operation (flow and temperature) with the production component that optimizes the heat produc- tion accordingly. In a more advanced solution, the involved software tools give feedback information to each other. For example, the pro- duction component could ask to shift demand in time to avoid bottlenecks in production or critical load in the net- work. The network and building optimization tools would analyze whether this is possible and return updated predic- tions. Other scenarios could be envisaged. 2. A system-independent data-sharing platform is established for communication between tools and the DH infrastruc- ture. This common platform enables any digital system to share data (inclusive prediction and setpoints for controlling district heating). In future versions, the platform will also be able to host common algorithms and software components. Data management is the central starting point DH companies are used to handling all their data within their individual IT infrastructure and SCADA systems. Communica- tion with the surroundings was not applied. Aiming at a much more complex control of the next generation DH demand change in minds, data must be communicated in secure manners to enable a more efficient operation of the entire dis- trict system and other services. The HEAT 4.0 solution has succeeded in developing a ‘common data platform’ which will guarantee the quality of data by, e.g., validating data, entering missing data, and resampling data
By Alfred Heller, Managing Director, DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark and Eva Lange Rasmussen, Communication expert, NIRAS, Denmark
T he overall objective within the project HEAT 4.0 is to integrate intelligent IT solutions in a new digital framework to reach a holistic district heating (DH) approach, previously presented in Hot Cool. The HEAT 4.0 addresses the digital needs of the whole sector, from the production site over distribution to the end-users, and creates synergy between design, operation, maintenance, and delivery of DH. Such solutions we call Cross System Services (CSS) and are based on co-operation between components suppliers, scientists at universities, DH companies, consultants, and es- sential for this article, a common platform provider. Data-based optimization and common sharing plat- form for concrete services The work of this project is mainly based on combining already existing IT tools from the DH sector. The purpose is to build a new bridge between today’s different software operating sys- tems to connect systems, exchange and use data securely and more intelligently to obtain innovative and holistic solutions. The methods developed in HEAT 4.0 have typically been based on digital models derived from DH systems in operation to- day. Therefore, the used methods are relatively simple but still reproduce reality as well as possible and create a satisfactory concept for further evolution. The solution can be divided into two steps of methods:
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