Waste heat is a key technology for the decarbonization of heating networks. The impulse paper highlights the opportunities and challenges of using waste heat for heat supply at district level. It is based on a workshop with experts from various research projects of the Energiewendebauen funding initiative. Eight central theses were derived from the workshop, which focus on technical hurdles and challenges with regard to data availability and the determination of potential, as well as aspects of communication and activation and the current regulatory framework.

The impulse paper shows that research projects often fail right from the start due to a lack of data. A nationwide, mandatory heat register could be a key to unlocking potential here. It is also clear that municipalities play a central role in waste heat utilization, especially when it comes to networking relevant stakeholders. Municipalities should therefore be strengthened through suitable framework conditions and instruments – such as municipal heat planning. Technically, the high temperature levels of existing networks, the lack of storage solutions and the geographical distance to the waste heat source represent major hurdles to implementation. To make better use of existing potential, suitable incentive systems and safeguards against economic risks are needed, for example through risk funds or carbon pricing for unused waste heat. Ultimately, the transformation of the entire local heating system must be considered in order to systematically and effectively exploit waste heat potential. 

View impulse paper (DE)