How and where can sustainable, future-ready heating networks be designed?

Especially for the supply of densely populated areas, the distribution of climate-neutral heat via heating networks can be more cost-efficient than decentralized heat supply. Furthermore, they make it possible to collect heat sources such as waste heat and transport it from the producer to the consumer. Since the infrastructure has a service life of at least 40 years, networks built today should be designed directly as future-proof systems. The subsequent transformation of already existing networks is highly challenging. It requires a holistic alignment with municipal heat planning and an in-depth analysis of the existing infrastructure.

Specifically, we consider the following questions:

• What role can heating networks play?
• How can existing heating networks be efficiently transformed?
• How can new networks be designed to be directly future-proof?
• By whom should heat networks and the associated infrastructure be operated so that this happens as efficiently as possible?