District Energy - 2009 2nd Quarter

application of district heating. They remember an ‘all-on’ or ‘all-off’ heating system in which the only way to regulate heat in a room was to open or close a window. They don’t have an idea of modern district heating as we know it, which can be easily controlled by individuals or households. One of the biggest challenges for our sector, which Euroheat & Power is addressing in a “Say yes to district heating” campaign (see sidebar), is to develop smart and coordinated ways of communicating.

Experience over the last decade
has shown that the necessary
structural changes will not naturally
emerge from the free market.
“Look Before…”

At present in Europe, countries like Denmark, Sweden and Finland are already champions in district energy. Lately, Germany, Austria and France have established new forward-looking policies with CHP production and district heating and cooling as key elements. They have set targets, provide substantial financial incentives both for production and infrastructure, tax the use of fossil fuels outside the emissions trading scheme and have established clear planning guidelines.

Europe is learning the lesson that the expected ‘energy revolution’ needs more than a single technical invention. Experience over the last decade has shown that the necessary structural changes will not naturally emerge from the free market but require determination and market intervention. Slowly but certainly, Europeans are accepting that sustainable living has a price.

But Euroheat & Power is also looking beyond Europe in its efforts to promote district energy and CHP. In a world where challenges and major decision making are increasingly global in nature, it is imperative that the district heating and cooling sector’s communication efforts go global as well. First and foremost, decisions on climate protection policies are taken globally today. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in

Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007, an action plan was agreed to that will lead to a new global climate change agreement. The goal is to finalize an ambitious agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009 (COP15).

In this context, we at Euroheat & Power are extremely pleased to cooperate with IDEA on a series of events focusing on the climate challenge – including Euroheat & Power’s Congress May 25-26, 2009, in Venice and IDEA’s annual conference outside Washington, D.C., in June 2009 – that will culminate in the first global district energy event Nov. 3, 2009. Together, we aim to use this occasion to demonstrate the immediate carbon emission reductions achievable through the use of district energy and CHP systems.

That event, called the “District Energy Summit 2009: Leading the Way to Copenhagen,” will be held in Copenhagen and is sponsored by Euroheat & Power, the International District Energy Association, Dansk Fjernvarme and the Danish Board of District Heating, with support from the International Energy Agency. This gathering will provide business, government and policy leaders with the opportunity to experience firsthand how district energy infrastructure can deliver higher efficiency, greater fuel flexibility and a more sustainable energy solution – today. If these leaders are to successfully curtail global warming and meet renewable energy goals for the future, it will be critical for them to support policies that will expand district energy and CHP use. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Look before, or you’ll find yourself behind.”

Sabine Froning is managing
director of Euroheat & Power, a
Brussels-based organization that
promotes district heating and
cooling and combined heat and
power within Europe, advocating
for technological innovation, environmental
awareness and continuing growth of the
industry. A native of Germany, Froning has
been following European energy matters in
various positions since 1988. She may be
reached at sabine-froning@euroheat.org.

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