Comprehensive Assessment of the Potential for Efficient District Heating and Cooling and for High-Efficient Cogeneration in Austria

• Main Authors: Richard Büchele, Lukas Kranzl, Andreas Müller, Marcus Hummel, Michael Hartner, Yvonne Deng, Marian Bons
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Aalborg University Press 2016-12-01
• Series: International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management
• Subjects: Comprehensive Assessment; Energy Efficiency Directive; Efficient District Heating; High-Efficient Cogeneration; Potential Analysis; Austria
• Online Access: https://journals.aau.dk/index.php/sepm/article/view/1219

In accordance with the EU Energy Efficiency Directive all Member States have to develop a comprehensive assessment of the potential for high-efficient CHP and efficient district heating and cooling by the end of 2015. This paper describes the approach and methodology used to determine the district heating potentials for Austria. In a first step actual and future heating and cooling demand in the building sector is evaluated using the techno-economic bottom-up model Invert/EE-Lab. Relevant infrastructure probably existing in 2025 is investigated and included into the analysis. Technical potentials for efficient technologies are calculated. After a classification of relevant regions into main and secondary regions a country-level cost-benefit-analysis is performed. The results indicate that there is a reasonable additional potential for district heating by the year 2025 under our central scenario assumptions and within sensitivity scenarios. Only in scenarios with high CO2-price or low gas price, CHP is an economically efficient solution to supply district heat.