Climate neutrality is more necessary than ever. That's why the City of Antwerp, Fluvius, and the University of Antwerp are joining forces to establish the new Chair in District Heating. One of the key priorities is the construction of district heating networks powered by residual heat and green heat . Within the chair's research, we will study where these district heating networks can best be rolled out, what they should look like, and when and which actions are needed.
The goal
The Chair in District Heating aims to facilitate the optimal rollout of district heating networks , taking into account technical and economic challenges and changes. This involves both technical and organizational aspects, as well as legal and economic aspects. Consider, for example, which market and tariff structures can support or hinder this optimization. District heating networks are often the final element in optimizing a region's energy supply and offer the necessary flexibility to other energy networks.
The research
To achieve this goal, a number of aspects are being investigated within the chair:
- Developing a network topology for a zone/case study, taking into account local energy demand/production and its evolution over time, and exploring the possibilities for decentralized generation and storage, as well as the technical application of heat transfer between different networks. By investigating these issues, we will create the necessary academic foundation for making policy decisions regarding a differentiated and phased rollout of heating networks.
- To document the context of a heat model that can provide a legal and economic backbone for the further rollout of optimally functioning heat networks.
By investigating these issues, we create the necessary academic foundation for making policy decisions regarding a differentiated and phased rollout of heating networks.
- Chair: Prof. Dr. Ir. Ivan Verhaert
- Faculty: Faculty of Applied Engineering Sciences/Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development IMDO
- Active: since 2022
- Partners: Fluvius and the City of Antwerp