Figure 1: Project HELIOS, Source: Energie Graz GmbH & Co KG

Via EUREC Member, AEE Intec

Press Release

Gleisdorf, AT 17.11.2020

Start of the EU project RES-DHC with 15 partners from 8 countries

EUREC member AEE INTEC (Austria) is partner in the H2020 project RES-DHC — Renewable Energy Sources in the District Heating and Cooling sector, which kicked off in October 2020 and will focus on increasing the share of renewable energy in district heating and cooling systems across Europe. 15 project partners from 8 countries including research institutes, companies and cities from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Poland and Denmark as well as the European umbrella organisation EuroHeat & Power, based in Brussels, Belgium have joined forces to drive the decarbonisation of the DHC sector.

This new project aims to support key actors, including industry players and policymakers, in achieving the goals of the Renewable Energy Directive RED II. Specifically, the project focuses on the goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in district heating systems by at least 1% annually. In six model regions across Europe, the project is gathering experience and building capacity on how best to transform existing urban district heating systems towards low-carbon supply. These model regions are Baden-Württemberg, the region of Graz, Parma and Aosta, Szczecin and West Pomerania, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and the Swiss Cantons.

The aim is to empower actors along the entire value chain to cooperate with each other and work towards the goal of sustainable heating and cooling. The transfer of know-how and best practice examples from the model regions to other regions should increase the replicability and maximise the impact of the project outcomes.

Within RES-DHC, AEE INTEC will bring in its wide experience in the district heating and cooling and coordinate the implementation of different measures in all model regions, aiming at a transition towards 100% renewable district heating. These measures are discussed and developed previously with all partners and stakeholders in the model regions and include next to technical measures also long-term planning, business model development and user integration. Here specifically, AEE INTEC together with the partners from the Graz model region (Energie Graz, City of Graz) will focus on the decarbonization of the Graz district heating system and will continue the already ongoing and successful transformation process in Graz.

The following partners are involved in the EU project RES-DHC:

• Germany: Solites Steinbeis Innovation gGmbH; AGFW-Projektgesellschaft für Rationalisierung, Information und Standardisierung mbH, HIR Hamburg Institut Research gGmbH
• Austria: Stadt Graz; Energie Graz GmbH & Co KG; AEE – Institut für Nachhaltige Technologien
• Italy: IREN SPA; Ambiente Italia SRL
• Poland: Szczecinska Energetyka Cieplna Sp. z o.o.
• France: Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Energie Environment; Commissariat a l´Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives
• Switzerland: PLANAIR SA; Verenum
• Denmark: PLANENERGI FOND
• Belgium: EUROHEAT & POWER