HEATING, VENTILATION & AIR CONDITIONING


DISTRICT HEATING THROUGH


THE DIGITAL LENS


I


n 2020, in developed economies, 81% of people lived in cities1


, including around 75%


of Europeans. Urban populations account for the majority of the world’s CO2


emissions and


energy consumption – and the biggest share of that consumption is for heating and cooling. Delivering sustainable and affordable heating and cooling to cities is therefore a priority in the fight against climate change. District energy can help achieve this goal by


generating low-carbon energy from wind farms, waste heat, thermal storage, power and thermal grids, and heat pumps, and transport it through a network of pipes to homes, businesses and public buildings. In this way, district energy can deliver up to 50% less primary energy consumption for heating and cooling. ABB district energy solutions address and


integrate the entire value chain: production, transmission, distribution and buildings. This holistic approach is an important step in changing mindsets from ‘as long as I supply the customers with enough heat, they’ll be happy’ to a more progressive approach that focuses more on optimising the distribution network so it produces and distributes at the peak of efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness. Because such networks are adept at


handling a mix of energy sources, they are an excellent way to store surplus energy using sector coupling, or load sharing. For example, if offshore wind farms produce more electrical energy than is needed, it can be combined with recycled waste energy from industrial processes and stored for use during times of peak demand. District energy is also easy to store and doesn’t need to be produced when electricity prices are high, resulting in cost savings. After the heat is delivered to the customer,


the liquid is transferred back to the production plant to be heated again. In this way, visionary cities are able to decarbonize heating, achieve high efficiency and reliability, and reduce energy consumption and CO2


emissions.


VALUE ADDED: ABB DISTRICT ENERGY SOLUTIONS To do this efficiently requires accurate prediction as to how much heat buildings will need and when – known as heat load


www.energymanagementmag.co.uk


forecasting – to ensure the right amount of energy at the correct temperature and with the lowest possible carbon footprint is delivered at the right time with minimum wastage. Providing exactly the right temperature is


key; too high and you get expensive heat losses in the system, too low and customers will complain. ABB helps customers to find that specific setpoint for different sections of the grid, using AI and machine learning to forecast heat demand in advance and lower the forward temperature in different sections of the network by several degrees, resulting in significant OPEX savings. Information is presented in highly visualised


dashboards that incorporate the consumer’s metering data, allowing the distribution operator to understand what is happening in the different parts of the district heating network, perform KPIs, use ‘cut-on, cut-off’ functionality to store heat in the building while still maintaining the correct temperature, and detect errors, bottlenecks and pipe leakages. ABB can add additional value by leveraging


its long history in the district heating space; the benefits include reduced maintenance costs, and improved customer satisfaction and reliability for end users.


THE STORY OF THE FUTURE The ABB Ability Optimax solution adds additional value for customers by minimising OPEX costs and carbon emissions, utilising heat storage, and optimising a wide range of key production assets. The future of energy generation and


distribution will require fossil-fired heat sources to be replaced with renewables. For example, a district heating plant may transition from using an ageing coal-fired


power plant to a modern system that combines a range of renewable assets – electrical heat pumps, electrical and biomass boilers, a gas-fired boiler and a heat accumulator. Using ABB Ability Optimax, the client can


switch between different production patterns depending on the weather conditions: if the wind is blowing, the new electrical boiler can be used to heat the accumulator, and this heat can be used at a later date. Optimising production in this way means future operations will run in the most cost-effective way possible and with the lowest CO2


footprint. ABB has, besides Optimax, delivered the


automation system that enables the operator to control the assets and process integrity. ABB’s solution has the ‘one cockpit’ approach. We can integrate all parts of the customers automation and thereby increase operator efficiency, have a safe, reliable and stable power supply. ABB’s responsibility covers the project execution and commissioning, as well as after sales support and service.


DISTRICT HEATING: A SMARTER, GREENER SOLUTION District heating systems have existed for more than a century, but now, with the climate emergency demanding action, their time has come. By harnessing the power of data and AI, they will be the heating solution of choice in the smarter, greener cities of the future, helping to grow the share of renewables, reduce energy consumption, improve energy efficiency and the recycling of waste energies, and enabling countries to become carbon neutral in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement.


ABB https://new.abb.com/process- automation/energy-industries


1https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/tdstat45_FS11_en.pdf ENERGY MANAGEMENT - Summer 2021 27


Modern district heating systems informed by AI, machine learning and data analytics can help to


decarbonise our cities, reduce energy consumption, and improve both grid efficiency and reliability, as


Dan Lohmann, engineering manager, Process Automation, Energy Industries at ABB, explains


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