As part of a direct contract, we have developed technically and economically viable pathways toward a greenhouse gas-neutral and expanded district heating supply by 2045 in the two heating network areas of Dortmund-Scharnhorst and Dortmund-Bodelschwingh.
Due to legal requirements, rising fossil fuel prices, and the necessary transition to renewable energy, heating network operators face significant investments in piped heat supply. The Federal Funding Program for Efficient Heating Networks (BEW) systematically supports transformation projects – from planning through implementation to operation. To qualify for funding for investment measures (BEW Module 2), so-called transformation plans are required, which we developed in close collaboration with the client, Fernwärmeversorgung Niederrhein GmbH.
Based on an analysis of the current state of the heating networks and a spatial-technical assessment of potential renewable heat sources and waste heat potential, we have developed an economically optimal path toward a greenhouse gas-neutral target scenario in 2045. In doing so, we have combined individual measures in the areas of new heat sources, network expansions, temperature reduction, and digitalization of network operations into coherent packages of measures and evaluated them both technically and economically. We mathematically optimized the concepts developed and had them thermohydraulically verified by our project partner 3S Consult GmbH. With the transformation plan we have created, Fernwärmeversorgung Niederrhein GmbH now has the path open to investment funding under BEW Module 2.
No direct funding was provided because it was a direct contract. Fernwärmeversorgung Niederrhein GmbH had received BEW funding for the transformation plan (BEW Module 1)
Duration: October 2024 to May 2025
Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT