2023 - present
Following the jointly developed transformation plan for the Fronmüllerstraße heating plant and heating network in Fürth, the heatbeat Digital Twin is supporting the expansion of the district heating network and the ongoing optimization and decarbonization of district heating generation at infra fürth gmbh.
The use case of the heatbeat Digital Twin for infra fürth GmbH shows how the development of the digital twin can begin with a specific project and then be consolidated through in-depth collaboration.
Initially, the digital twin supported infra and Energie Plus Concept GmbH in creating a transformation plan for the Fronmüllerstraße heating network, which currently has around 275 customers. This resulted in a detailed representation of the current status as well as a meaningful simulation of the planned expansion and transformation paths.
After the successful completion of the joint project, which resulted in a clear transformation plan, the heatbeat Digital Twin was transferred to regular operation and an in-depth collaboration for the ongoing optimization of the existing network and the continuous expansion planning.
The collaboration began with the creation of a transformation plan as part of the federal funding program for efficient heating networks (BEW). This was developed in cooperation between infra, Energie Plus Concept, and heatbeat. Based on an analysis of the current network and an assessment of the potential for renewable heat sources, a target scenario was developed as a goal, along with a timeline for achieving climate neutrality in the heat supply in the study area.
The study area not only covers the current network area in the southern part of Fürth, but also plans a significant expansion of district heating across the entire southern part of the city and the city center. Infra is thus pursuing an ambitious program to make a significant contribution to climate-friendly heat supply in Fürth.
Following the transformation plan, infra will continue to use the heatbeat Digital Twin as a central tool from expansion planning to operational monitoring and optimization of the constantly growing heating network.
In the transformation plan, heatbeat's work focused on creating a digital twin for buildings, heating networks, and heat generators for the current status quo, as well as mapping out expansion scenarios for the target state in the future.
The digital mapping of the entire system enabled efficient comparison of variants and informed decision-making – both technically and economically. The results were incorporated directly into strategic planning and the funding application, underscoring heatbeat's performance and innovative strength in the field of digital heat planning.
Infra then uses the heatbeat Digital Twin to continue planning the network independently using the design module, as well as the insights module to utilize a steadily increasing number of remotely readable heat meters from the house stations and other measurement data from generation for ongoing operational monitoring and optimization.
