Will there be the waste heat and boiler house competition in Latvia? Assessment of industrial waste heat

• Published in: Smart energy (Amsterdam) Vol. 3; p. 100023
• Main Authors: Pakere, Ieva, Gravelsins, Armands, Lauka, Dace, Blumberga, Dagnija
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2021
• Subjects: District heating system; Energy efficiency; Industrial enterprises; Low-temperature district heating; System dynamic modeling; Waste heat potential; Industrial enterprises; Low-temperature district heating; District heating system; Energy efficiency; Waste heat potential; System dynamic modeling
• ISSN: 2666-9552; 2666-9552
• DOI: 10.1016/j.segy.2021.100023

The research aims to develop the methodology for waste heat implementation into the district heating systems by overcoming several barriers. The waste heat from different enterprises has been identified as an important thermal energy source in smart energy systems for the heat load coverage by using heat pumps. First, waste heat potential mapping eliminates the lack of information. The authors have developed a detailed assessment of the largest enterprises, their heat production levels, and the distance to the nearest district heating plant for the Latvia case study. The approach highlights the national techno-economic potential of waste heat, which has been further used for dynamic simulation of waste heat integration into the district heating systems.
When allocating the techno-economic waste heat potential with existing heat demand, it can be concluded that 83 GWh or 31% of overall waste heat could be used in DH systems. The cost-benefit analysis is performed by analyzing the main income and cost flows. The total amount of waste heat potential in the rural areas is around 38 GWh per year. Even though this amount of waste heat cannot be used in DH networks, there is potential for industrial symbiosis between several different manufacturing companies to use waste heat efficiently.
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•The waste heat in smart energy system could be an energy source for heat pumps.•The total waste heat potential from industrial plants in Latvia is 272 GWh per year.•Around 14% of industrial waste heat sources are located in rural areas.•System dynamics is used for waste heat integration into district heating modelling.•Financial support for network investments to integrate waste heat will be crucial.