District Heating and Cooling: On the road to 5th Generation!

Since 2018, the European project D2GRIDS has promoted 5th generation district heating and cooling (5GDHC) across North-West Europe.  On the 10th November 2021, on the occasion of COP26, the D2Grids team is organising the Project mid term event called “On the road to 5GDHC” in order to showcase the first results in developing the concept and progress achieved on the pilot sites. The event will also be an occasion to share perspectives to roll-out 5GDHC grids across European cities.

What is 5GDHC ?

5GDHC is an urban thermal energy grid for heating and cooling, based on the following features:

• Ultra-low temperatures close to end-user needs allowing the use of low-grade renewable heat sources
• Demand-driven temperature based on smart control, and decentralised installations enabling heating and cooling exchange between end-consumers thanks to a closed loop
• Integrated heat and power networks to reduce powerpeaks

Why is 5GDHC needed for heating and cooling in the future?

In Europe, heating and cooling represent 50% of the total energy consumption for buildings and the industry. 5GDHC, a highly optimised, low-temperature grid, represent a promising solution to decarbonise our building stock. The D2Grids project aims at accelerating the roll-out of 5GDHC grids in Europe, through an industrialisation of the system, the creation of solid business plans, and the development of 5 pilot site located in Paris-Saclay (France), Bochum (Germany), Brunssum (Netherlands), Glasgow and Nottingham (UK).

Join the event to know more on 5GDHC

Attending this conference, you’ll learn from scratch why 5GDHC grids are easy to implement in the North-West European cities and why you should start now!

Know more about the concept	Be inspired by key outcomes from the 5 pilot sites	Understand the potential of 5GDHC across Europe
The event will introduce the 5GDHC concept, its principles, and its future developments across Europe.	Project partners from the 5 pilot sites will explain the benefits they're expecting from 5GDHC on the environmental, financial, and energy aspects.	Every city can start a 5GDHC grids project from now! Indeed, it's an affordable solution and a real opportunity for energy grids in North-West Europe.

Interested in experimenting 5GDHC in your own city? Following the event, D2Grids project partner Open University will host a workshop for policy makers on 5th generation district heating and cooling. The workshop will include a serious game and key highlights to help you start a 5GDHC project.

Agenda 

Join us on Wednesday 10th November 2021 for 2 events on 5GDHC!

D2Grids Conference (10:00 am - 12:30 pm Glasgow time)

• 5GDHC principles, benefits & challenges
• Focus on the pilot sites
• Exploring the potential of 5GDHC across Europe

The conference will take place in Sloans (62 Argyll Arcade, 108 Argyle Street) in Glasgow but also online!

Workshop (2:00 pm - 3:35 pm Glasgow time) - places are limited

"Introducing 5GDHC in your city: a serious game for decision-makers"
City representatives, decision-makers, are you considering a 5GDHC grid for your city? Then join the 5GDHC role-play game to know more on ways and benefits to integrate this new technology!

This interactive game will take you through a simulated meeting organized by a district heating company who would like to introduce a 5GDHC pilot case in their city. Participants will need to establish a plan to meet ambitious goals regarding carbon-neutral heating in buildings and required infrastructure. 

Through this game, you will improve your knowledge of 5GDHC, and collaborate with other players on district heating issues.
The game will be played online.

Fill out the form to register!