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District Heating
WEDISTRICT tackles extreme heat in Southern Europe
WeSSun , tracking concentrator with fixed tilt collector .
With extreme temperatures persisting across Southern Europe , the EU-funded WEDISTRICT project is leading efforts to transform heating and cooling systems into fully renewable networks . In Córdoba , Spain , this initiative integrates solar , biomass , and innovative air-cooling technologies to meet energy needs sustainably . By reducing fossil fuel reliance and enhancing energy efficiency , WEDISTRICT showcases a scalable model for green infrastructure across Europe .
By Rebecca Pool , Freelance science and technology journalist
As the scorching Summer of 2024 drew to a close across the southern half of Europe , numerous cities towards the south of Spain were still braced for more extreme heat . In early September , Granada , Seville , Malaga and Córdoba - to name but a few - were set to record temperatures of at least 33 º C . This persistent heat , linked to human-caused climate change , highlights yet again the clear need to install more renewable energy generation , including heating and cooling solutions – and this is where European Union-funded € 15 million-plus WEDISTRICT project has already been making a real difference . Right now , heating and cooling of buildings accounts for half of the EU ’ s energy consumption , of which 70 % is generated from fossil fuels . However , since launching in 2019 , WEDISTRICT has developed and demonstrated renewable energy-based technologies for district heating and cooling ( DHC ) systems at three sites - Luleå , Sweden , Bucharest , Romania , and importantly for those that have sweltered in southern Europe , Córdoba . The renewable DHC network in Córdoba covers the heating and cooling demands of several buildings at the Rabanales Campus of the University of Córdoba . Three different solar thermal technologies provide heating as well as cooling , via absorption chillers and a Renewable Air-Cooling Unit ( RACU ) prototype developed at the University . Heat from these solar thermal technologies is stored in a thermal energy storage tank , also part of the network . In addition , two 500 kW biomass boilers have been integrated to the network for thermal generation , making use of nearby biomass sources including olive stone , fruit shells and wood chips . And critically , an open-source intelligent energy management system controls all renewable energy generation , storage , transformation and distribution across the entire DHC network .
24 Heat Exchanger World December 2024 www . heat-exchanger-world . com