For District Heating
District heating can be an efficient solution to provide heat in a centralised way to citizens living in the same area. In 2023, the total number of district heating networks in Europe reached 19,000. The majority of these networks still use fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, oil or peat) as their main energy source.
If Europe wants to reach climate neutrality by 2050, it needs to decarbonise heat in cities.
Solar District Heating: An already widely adopted solution in Europe
Local governments have an important role to play in decarbonising heat in cities: They can opt for District Heating systems that use renewable energy sources for heating. Solar thermal has great potential to be the route towards district heating decarbonisation, and Europe is already leading the way here: 256 towns and cities in across the continent use Solar District Heating with a total of 1,327 MWth in operation. These constitute 81% of the Solar District Heating networks worldwide.
Key EU Fit x 55 files supporting the uptake of solar heat in district heating
Energy Efficiency Directive (2023)
- 7% reduction of energy consumption by 2030 (vs 2020)
- National comprehensive assessments for efficient district heating and cooling
- Mandatory Heating and Cooling plans for cities above 45,000 inhabitants
- Efficient District Heating and Cooling criteria ->Over time, these criteria will become stricter and by 2050 district heating networks will need to use only renewable energy or waste heat to qualify as efficient
Renewable Energy Efficiency Directive (2023)
- Art. 24: indicative target for RES in district heating and cooling
Our policy demand:
To further expand the roll out of Solar District Heating in Europe, local authorities shall be encouraged and supported to include solar thermal solutions in urban energy planning, including the identification of priority areas, such as district heating, and the facilitation of dual-land use for energy generation. The estimation of the positive impact Solar District Heating networks can bring to local economies and quality of living should also be factored in when developing local heating and cooling plans.