Germany’s heat supply is set to transition from fossil fuels to climate-neutral sources. The framework for this transformation is provided by the Heat Planning Act (WPG) and the North Rhine-Westphalia State Heat Planning Act (LWPG). Based on these laws, municipalities are developing comprehensive heat plans across the country to serve as a strategic foundation for climate-neutral heat supply. However, these plans are often developed on a municipality-by-municipality basis. Yet many implementation questions can also be addressed at the regional level – for example, regarding the use of waste heat from industry or wastewater treatment plants, the expansion of heating networks, or the structural integration of stakeholders such as the skilled trades or citizens.
Developing municipal heating plans together
This is precisely where the project comes in, with its coordinated regional approach: Fraunhofer UMSICHT and the Region Köln/Bonn e.V. are consolidating the municipal heating plans for the region, which has a population of approximately 3.6 million and includes both urban and rural areas as well as energy-intensive industrial sites. These plans are then overlaid with infrastructure and potential data using GIS to identify regional cooperation areas.
The added value of the project lies in the combination of municipal technical planning, regional data and potential analysis, stakeholder coordination, and concrete preparations for implementation. In this way, heating plans can go beyond being mere planning documents to actually initiate projects ready for investment. For example, a heat source in Municipality A can be linked to a heat sink in Municipality B, or several smaller municipalities can utilize shared service providers and operating models.
Technological options for climate-neutral heating
The project examines a wide range of renewable and waste heat-based options. These include industrial and commercial waste heat, potential from wastewater and sewage treatment plants, river heat (e.g., from the Rhine), near-surface and deep geothermal energy, solar thermal energy, biomass, as well as large-scale heat pumps and seasonal heat storage systems. The regional approach also makes it possible to tap into potential that would not be economically or technically feasible at the level of individual municipalities. In addition to technical solutions, the focus is also on organizational and communicative synergies.
Stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer
Through a participatory process involving local governments, municipal utilities, grid operators, research institutions, financial backers, the Chamber of Crafts, and other experts, the project partners identify region-specific issues. Practical experience from the management and implementation of the heating transition is consolidated and clearly communicated through new formats – ranging from district heating expansion in Cologne to community-organized local heating networks in rural areas.
Alignment with the regional strategy
The project is part of the regional transformation and structural policy outlined in the Cologne/Bonn metropolitan area program. It integrates climate protection, energy infrastructure, regional development, and economic considerations, thereby strengthening the link between municipal sectoral planning and regional implementation strategies.
Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT