Planning energy transition and decarbonisation of district heating systems in Poland

The revised Energy Efficiency Directive of the European Union sets very ambitious targets for the decarbonisation of existing district heating systems by 2050. This study addresses the issue of decarbonisation planning in the case of large, 2nd generation, fossil fuel-fired district heating systems in Poland. It aims to identify key issues related to the reconfiguration of the system required to satisfy the definition of the efficient district heating system set in the Energy Efficiency Directive for 2028 and 2035. The results reveal the complexity of the task and the critical constraints of the transition strategy. It was found that the implementation of the technically feasible decarbonisation solutions may cause an increase in heat production costs compared to a reference “no action” scenario. It was also identified that the seasonal heat storage volume required to capture heat available out of the heating season may not be possible to establish, and dispatchable waste heat sources must be found to meet the decarbonisation goals. The overall conclusion is that to facilitate informed investment decisions reduce risks and meet the energy transition targets in a cost-effective way, a comprehensive holistic strategic plans needs to be developed that take into account several areas of interventions, namely technological, infrastructural, economic (including legal, market and business) and social.