The expansion of district heating is progressing rapidly in Austria. Reason enough for the Gas Heat Association to organize a press trip to visit an urban and a rural district heating provider.
District heating plays an important role in Austria’s heating strategy. Today, 28.3 percent of all apartments are already supplied with district heating. This corresponds to more than 1.16 million households that are heated with clean district heating. “Another 500,000 district heating households are expected to be added by 2050,” says Mag. Katalin-Andrea Griessmair-Farkas, Deputy Managing Director of the Gas Heat Association (FGW).
The Gas Heat Association has invited people to a press trip to Linz and Lambach to show the developments in district heating supply in Upper Austria. “We think it is important to present these innovative approaches to sustainable energy supply, because district heating is ultimately one of the key technologies for efficiently achieving climate neutrality in the building sector,” says Griessmair-Farkas.
Generation diversity at one location
First stop in Linz: the Hofmann Personal Stadium (FC Blau Weiß Linz). The stadium with more than 5,700 seats is considered a reference project for district heating. During the inspection, a major advantage of the district heating solution becomes clear: a simple and space-saving solution that is also suitable for such a large construction project. The district heating is compactly housed in the basement of the building under the soccer field and a warehouse. Underfloor heating keeps the lawn frost-free.
Next stop: Linz Mitte Energy Park. Not only is heat generated here, but environmentally friendly technologies are also used to increase energy efficiency. The operators of the power plant are increasingly relying on renewable energies in order to minimize CO2 emissions and meet the increasing demands for sustainable heat supply. “District heating is one of the essential technologies of the energy transition and not just since today,” says Mag. DI Josef Siligan, Chief Energy Officer at LINZ AG.
“Heat converter” as an eco-turbo
Electricity is generated in the biomass cogeneration plant. The resulting waste heat is used as environmentally friendly district heating. By integrating a new “heat converter”, the residual waste heat in the exhaust air can also be used in the future. “With the “heat converter”, the share of renewables in LINZ AG’s district heating generation will be increased by around 15 percent in the future – solely through energy efficiency without the use of additional primary energy,” says Siligan.
Lambach Abbey relies on energy from the forest
From Linz we continue to the Benedictine Monastery of Lambach, which, with its own local heating supply, is a role model for rural regions. By using the latest technology and using biomass from its own forests, the monastery shows how smaller suppliers can also make a contribution to the energy transition. Since 2008, the monastery has operated a biomass local heating system with 1.65 Mw and uses it to heat not only the entire monastery complex, but also surrounding educational institutions and residential properties in an environmentally friendly manner. The plant, which relies on wood chips, is a prime example of climate-friendly business and regional circular economy.
Mag. Armin Rieder, economic director of the Benedictine monastery in Lambach: “We pay attention to the careful use of natural resources.” By using wood chips, around 500,000 liters of heating oil are replaced every year. “That corresponds to a CO2 saving of 1,350 tons,” adds Michael Gelbmann, the monastery’s building technician.
The history of sustainable energy production in Lambach Abbey goes back to the year 1056. “We heated with wood for 900 years,” says Abbot Maximilian, “after a few years with oil heating, we returned to wood in the form of biomass.”
“Free choice of heat”
In order to secure biomass requirements in the long term and sustainably, Lambach Abbey wants to create a so-called energy forest next year. In the immediate vicinity of the local heating system, local willow species and suitable poplars are to be planted on an area of approximately six hectares.
Finally, Katalin-Andrea Griessmair-Farkas says: “As the gas heat trade association, we are convinced of the advantages of district heating from the customer’s perspective. We advocate that heating customers should have the freedom to choose which heating system they want to use, not only now but also in the future.”
About district heating
District heating is probably the most convenient way to heat. It is safe and tried and tested in terms of use and care and is comparatively inexpensive. The comfortable district heating reaches the apartments via the district heating pipeline network. The good thing about district heating: The proportion of renewable energy sources such as biomass, waste and the high-quality energy source natural gas in the production of district heating has increased steadily in recent years.