Publications – RELaTED Project

Energy meters in District-Heating Substations for Heat Consumption Characterization and Prediction Using Machine-Learning Techniques

The use of smart energy meters enables the monitoring of large quantity of data related to heat consumption patterns in buildings connected to DH networks. This information can be used to understand the interaction between building and the final users´ without accurate information about building characteristics and occupational rates. In this paper, presented at Beyond 2020 digital event, an intuitive and clarifier data-driven model is presented, which couples heat demand and weather variables. This model enables the disaggregation of Space-Heating & Domestic Hot water demand, characterization of the total heat demand and the forecasting for the next hours. Simulations for 53 building have been carried out, with satisfactory results for most of them, reaching R2 values above 0.9 in some [...]

webmaster2020-11-04T13:04:03+00:00November 4th, 2020|Conference and scientific journals, Publications|

Data driven process for the energy assessment of building envelope retrofits

In the paper “Data driven process for the energy assessment of building envelope retrofits”, a novel method is proposed based on whole-building heat load assessment by means of heat meters, and analytical calculations of building envelope transmission heat load coefficients. […]

webmaster2020-10-16T10:40:07+00:00October 16th, 2020|Conference and scientific journals, Publications|

Energy & economic assessment of façade-integrated solar thermal systems combined with ultra-low temperature district-heating

Authors: Roberto Garay, project coordinator of RELaTED and Mikel Lumbreras, researcher at TECNALIA, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA). This paper, published in the journal Renewable Energy (Volume 159, October 2020, Pages 1000-1014), conducts an energy and economic assessment of District Heating (DH) integrated Solar Thermal (ST) systems. An implementation with building-integrated ST collectors coupled to a Low Temperature District Heating (LTDH) system is studied, with special focus on unglazed collectors. ST heat is exploited in the building through direct use, while excess heat is delivered to the network. A novel control strategy for heat flows in the system is proposed. A meta-analysis of several DH configurations, interconnection schemes and installed ST capacity is performed in three different climates: Sevilla (Spain), [...]

webmaster2020-10-16T10:12:53+00:00October 1st, 2020|Conference and scientific journals, Publications|

WEBINAR: The low temperature district heating recording is now available

Watch and listen to the Low Temperature District Heating webinar, hosted by Celsius Initiative in partnership with COOL DH. Learn about how smart cities can transition to low temperature district heating, by the hand of Christian Holm Christiansen, Senior Consultant at the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), and RELaTED Project partner. Decarbonised district heating systems are already here. As a matter of fact, low temperature district heating can prove to be an important part in keeping the globe’s temperature low as well. This webinar presents some of the opportunities and challenges cities may encounter in their endeavour towards a sustainable and efficient energy system. It covers how to plan for the deployment of new DHC systems, as well as the extension and refurbishing [...]

webmaster2020-05-07T13:18:08+00:00May 7th, 2020|Videos|

New posibilities for ultra-low temperature district heating in corporate district heating networks

Olga Macias, researcher in the field of energy eficiency in buildings in Tecnalia, explains the intervention developed by the RELaTED project in the demonstration site of Iurreta (Spain), in order to test the posibilites of the ultra-low temperature district heating systems in a corporate building complex. Tecnalia coordinates the RELaTED project which aims to develop an innovative concept of desentralized ultra-low temperature district heating networks. This new concept will be tested in four demonstrations sites, in Denmark, Serbia, Estonia and Spain. The Spanish project is located in Iurreta, in the North of Spain. This site is a policial base owned by the Department of Security of the Basque Goverment. The based consists on a total of thirteen buildings with diferent [...]

webmaster2020-03-12T15:11:42+00:00March 12th, 2020|Publications, Videos|

Metering and billing of consumption in ultra-low temperature district heating systems

In general, metering of district heating consumption in ultra-low temperature district heating (ULT DH) systems is not different from traditional district heating. However, when electricity is used to boost DHW temperature, this share of the DHW production is no longer metered by the district heating company, or must be metered separately by an additional electricity meter. This information has been extracted from the section 5 of the document D.2.2. Interconnection schemes for consumer installations. DOWNLOAD THIS DOCUMENT HERE >> Figure 3: principle of metering in ULT DH systems with electric booster In this case, there might be different ways to bill the consumer. One option is that the consumer is just billed the district heating consumption with usual [...]

webmaster2020-06-01T16:56:21+00:00February 27th, 2020|Public documents, Publications|

Main strategic and economic issues of ULT district heating for new development areas

The following article is resuming the main strategic and economic issues to be considered in developing new ultra-low temperature district heating (ULT DH) for new development areas. This information has been extracted from the document entitled D2.5 - Development schemes for new district heating developments. Strategic and integrated energy planning The economy of ULT DH in a new development area must be economical attractive for the company operating the scheme, for the customers and for the society. Strategic energy planning is used on municipality, regional or national level to plan the most viable way to supply and use energy over a longer time horizon. Vision A new development area is typically based on or linked to one or more visions. [...]

webmaster2020-02-19T16:10:41+00:00February 19th, 2020|Publications|

Machine Learning as a solution tool for district heating

In recent years, Machine Learning has become one of the most used techniques when modelling relationships between different parameters. Inspired by the successful integration of Machine Learning in many other areas, it is beginning to draw attention in the district heating sector as well. The application of Machine Learning in the context of district heating has an obvious potential as a component of tomorrows heating networks. Machine learning (ML) is a fast-developing tool that allows you to handle large and complex systems with many parameters and data, with different desires for efficiency. It is a branch of artificial intelligence, and defined by Computer Scientist and machine learning pioneer Tom M. Mitchell in relation to his book Machine Learning (1997) [2] [...]

webmaster2020-02-05T11:01:34+00:00February 5th, 2020|Public documents, Publications|

Watch the Integration of Industrial Waste Heat in District Heating Systems [webinar]

Do not miss the recording of the second RELaTED webinar on the Integration of Industrial Waste Heat in District Heating and learn about the role of waste heat in DHs and the RELaTED project DH concept! What’s new in District Heating Systems (DHs)? DHs have traditionally been designed to be operated with central energy production facilities and a variety of distributed consumption locations (dwellings, tertiary buildings, etc). In some cases, heat is partially obtained from local industrial waste heat streams, leading to almost de-carbonized heating energy supplies. In case you did not know about the role of waste heat in DHs, after watching this webinar you may have upskilled your knowledge about its benefits. Furthermore, the webinar allowed the [...]

webmaster2019-12-24T13:47:34+00:00December 24th, 2019|Videos|

Energy flexibility and District Heating Control

The activities carried out under the RELaTED project address the need for increased energy efficiency and new management strategies in relation to ULT DH. Installing smart meters allows for increased insight into the conditions of networks and installations and by the use of machine learning to utilize these data in new algorithms and tools. RELaTED report 2.4, which is part of a set of reports that define the system architecture of the RELaTED concept, describes new possibilities concerning measurement and control of ULT DH and other DH systems with high energy flexibility. RELaTED task 2.4 aims at developing a framework for advanced control procedures for managing and optimizing ULT DH networks based on energy consumers equipped with smart meters and [...]

webmaster2019-11-15T10:34:12+00:00October 2nd, 2019|Public documents, Publications|