Innovative Community-based Heat Supply – IGWarm Possibilities and Conditions for Community Heat Networks as an Alternative, and Local Form of Heat Supply

A network-based heat supply is an effective way to provide heating using renewable heat sources. Accordingly, interest among citizens and municipalities is high, and many municipal heat plans designate development areas for such systems. Implementation can, however, be challenging. Particularly in less densely built neighborhoods, traditional commercial actors often do not see a viable economic basis. These areas require innovative operating models, as municipalities themselves are also rarely able to develop district heating networks due to limited resources or institutional structures. Instead, community-organized actors, such as citizens or local groups, can serve as an innovative force in establishing a community-based heat supply. 

The research project IGWarm supports five innovative heat projects in Brandenburg, Bremen, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg. Most of them are organized as cooperatives. As the research shows, this legal structure is particularly well suited for managing the financing, legal framework, and ongoing operation of heating networks. Existing practical examples include the bioenergy villages of Schlöben and Pfalzgrafenweiler, as well as the initiatives ErdwärmeDich in Bremen and kliQ in Berlin. 

IGWarm examines the conditions under which community-based heating networks can be realized as an innovative, alternative, and neighborhood-oriented heat supply solution. This applies in particular to areas where conventional local or district heating networks are not implemented due to a low density of consumers. What potential for network-based heat supply can be unlocked? Which obstacles do exist? How could framework conditions be improved? To answer these questions, the project team works closely with practitioners from the outset. The findings are being prepared in practical guidance documents for both existing heating communities and groups seeking to establish new ones.