Feasibility study BEW

For an efficient and economic operation of district heating networks the initial planning phase is of utmost importance. Fundamental assumptions about the district heating network can have a long-term effect on the entire life-cycle of the system. Yet, during the planning phase uncertainty is high, e.g. regarding the building demands and the economic boundary conditions. For effective decision making, a feasibility study can help to compare various options for districts and increase the robustness of the planned district heating network.

At heatbeat, we have successfully completed numerous feasibility studies under the funding program 'Wärmenetze 4.0'. With our experience we can support your feasibility study from start to finish. This starts with basic ideas for an innovative energy system, continues through the phase of applying for funding and finishes with completion when submitting the finished documents to the funding agency. We are also prepared for the new 'Bundesförderung für effiziente Wärmenetze (BEW)' (a federal funding for efficient district heating networks in Germany) and had already summarized the current status for you in our newsletter. And since the BEW came into effect on Sept. 15, 2022, we look forward to discussing funding opportunities with you and supporting you from the application phase to a completed feasibility study.

For all technical aspects of the feasibility study we rely on our heatbeat Digital Twin. First, we simulate various scenarios with different demands for the district. During our simulation, we create plausible hourly load profiles for each building. We can then work with you to develop the best supply concept and examine various possible options, specifically tailored to the usage structure and the resulting distribution of the demands. For this, we also simulate the operation of the entire district heating network for the course of a whole year in hourly time-steps. This very detailed simulation plays a particularly important role when examining innovative solutions for district heating networks. That's because the simulation contains all expected load conditions and the numerous interactions in the network which can only be reliably evaluated with a realistic representation of the operating network.

Regarding our specific tasks, we tailor our offer exactly to your needs. In the past, we have already covered several ranges of options in various projects. From offering only advice and individual details for feasibility studies done by a third-party (e.g. provision of building demands, detailed simulation of a preferred network variant) to consulting from the application phase to the final preparation of the study document itself. Feel free to contact us and discuss the options for cooperation!