GIS based analysis of future district heating potential in Denmark

The physical placement of buildings is important when determining the potential for DH (district heating). Good locations for DH are mainly determined by having both a large heat demand within a certain area and having access to local heat resources. In recent years, the locations of buildings in Denmark have been mapped in a heat atlas which includes all buildings and their heat demands. This article focuses on developing a method for assessing the costs associated with supplying these buildings with DH. The analysis is based on the existing DH areas in Denmark. By finding the heat production cost within these areas and adding transmission and distribution costs, it is possible to find the economic feasibility of supplying areas with DH. The findings of the analysis indicate that there is potential for expanding DH in Denmark, but this potential differs from area to area. It is economically feasible to expand DH in many areas, but others would require reductions in production costs and distribution losses in order for DH expansions to be economically feasible. The analysis also shows the potential boundaries for DH expansion by including transmission and distribution costs. These boundaries are not static, but change according to many different factors. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.