A draft vision for energy transition and decarbonisation of the Vilnius district heating system created.
The second knowledge SET_HEAT project k knowledge transfer workshop took place in Vilnius from 16th to 18th April 2024. The project team was hosted at the premises of the VILNIAUS ŠILUMOS TINKLAI (VST). The main topic of the workshop was the development of a draft vision for energy transition and decarbonisation of the Vilnius district heating system. Biomass and waste-to-energy conversion will remain important production units in the system to 2050 and beyond. The plan focuses on phasing out natural gas, with a current share in the overall heat production at the level of 30%. Numerous projects were defined and discussed during the workshop. The draft plan envisages that partial electrification of heating loads will take place in the district heating of Vilius, which is in line with the Lithuanian energy transition plan. The share of distributed heat pumps in the Vilnius DH system will be gradually increasing starting from 2024. Electric boilers are considered to be an important technology for sector coupling and enabling the Vilnius DH system to participate in balancing and service market and support electric grids. Heat storage (short-term and seasonal) will become a key component of the system, which will be optimised to ensure competitive heat prices compared to individual heat sources. Heating network operating temperatures will be reduced to enable the integration low-grade heat sources into the network and increase waste heat recovery and energy efficiency of heat production facilities.
Energy transition and decarbonisation of district heating systems through the integration of renewable heat sources is a complex but necessary challenge.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.