2023-07-10 08:03:06
The expansion of the district cooling network is boosting district cooling sales in Austria: in 2022, suppliers delivered six percent more district cooling to customers.
Vienna (OTS) – Although this year only a few days were real hot days, i.e. with 30 degrees or more, it is expected that district cooling sales will continue to grow as in the previous year. It is the expansion of the district cooling network that is driving sales: Despite a slightly cooler summer than in the previous year, 188 gigawatt hours (GWh) of district cooling were sold in 2022, around six percent more than in the previous year.
The total length of the district cooling network in Austria grew by 13.5 percent in the previous year and reached a total length of 36 kilometers at the end of December 2022. The installed district cooling capacity increased year-on-year from 178 MW in 2021 to 180 MW in 2022 – this corresponds to an increase in capacity of two MW or 1.2 percent.
Overall, the increase in sales of district cooling over the past 14 years is impressive: since 2009, sales have increased almost eightfold from around 25 GWh to 188 GWh most recently.
Summer in the City
Summer heat waves pose a challenge for well-being and health, especially in densely built-up urban areas. A lot of asphalt and high facades quickly create so-called heat islands, which cause hot days and nights. As a result, the need for air conditioning is also increasing rapidly. And this is where ecologically compatible, efficient and comfortable district cooling comes into play. It makes an important contribution to ensuring that summers in cities remain worth living in the future.
More district cooling in urban areas
District cooling will come to Carinthia in 2024: buildings in Klagenfurt will then be supplied with environmentally friendly cooling.
In addition, Linz and St. Pölten are among the “cool spots” in Austria. District cooling systems were also installed in the Lower Austrian state hospitals in Baden, Mödling and Mistelbach. In addition, the EVN headquarters building in the Mödling district is supplied with district cooling.
And in Graz district cooling is fed into an industrial customer network.
Vienna is the leader
Vienna is the leader in district cooling sales. The federal capital accounts for around 79 percent of the district cooling network. Wien Energie has been using this environmentally friendly building cooling system for 15 years and is constantly expanding the district cooling capacity. The buildings that are already supplied with district cooling include the University of Vienna, the National Bank, the Vienna General Hospital, the Parliament, the City Hall, the Museum of Applied Arts, the Austria Campus as well as numerous hotels and several hundred new apartments.
By 2030, the capacity of the Viennese district cooling should almost double.
Next milestone in Linz
In the Upper Austrian state capital, LINZ AG recently put its third district cooling center into operation on Wiener Strasse. In addition to our own buildings, some surrounding companies also benefit from this. This increases the company’s total connected load to more than 20 megawatts of district cooling, which means an increase of over 70 percent over the past three years. Production takes place in the three district cooling centers in Donaupark, Friedhofstrasse and Wiener Strasse, as well as in several local refrigeration plants directly at the customers.
Economical and ecological
District cooling has many advantages over traditional air conditioning:
It saves around 70 percent energy and 50 percent CO2.
District chillers are space-saving and quiet. District cooling centers are housed outside the customer building.
The supply from the district cooling network takes place via smaller transfer stations in the building.
District cooling relieves the power grid because the potential from district heating generation that is available in the summer is used.
This is how district cooling works
District cooling is generated partly with electricity and mostly in absorption chillers that use waste heat from industry, CHP plants or waste incineration, which are available all year round. With district cooling, water that is regarding six degrees cold is delivered to customers via pipes. The water is cooled decentrally in so-called district cooling centers. The cold is then released into the customer’s premises via their own cooling systems, for example via pipes in the walls or decentralized fan convectors for room air conditioning.
district cooling, ok cool!
In order to bring the environmentally friendly district cooling closer to the public, the social media campaign “District cooling, ok cool” is now running. “The campaign offers interesting facts regarding district cooling and provides information regarding its numerous advantages,” concludes DI Clara Maria Habeler, BSc, district heating officer in the Gas Heat Association (FGW).
About District Cooling
District heating is generated in summer as well as in winter for heat supply and hot water treatment and at the same time used for the production of environmentally friendly district cooling. The same energy sources that are used to generate district heating can also be used to drive chillers. So-called “absorption chillers” use waste heat from industry, CHP systems or waste incineration, which is available all year round. As with district heating, the objects are supplied centrally (or also decentrally, in which case a cooling center is set up at the consumer). Insulated pipes transport the water, which has been cooled to 6 degrees Celsius, to the customer, and it flows back at around 16 degrees Celsius to be cooled once more.
Questions & contact:
Association of Gas and Heat Supply Companies (FGW)
DI Clara Maria Habeler, BSc
District heating consultant
[email protected]
Tel.: +43 / 1 / 513 15 88-22
www.gaswaerme.at
1688976507
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