The Combination of Biomass with Solar Thermal Energy and other Renewables for Small Heating Grids: The Coolheating Project
Small modular district heating/cooling grids can be fed by different heat sources, including solar collectors, biomass systems and surplus heat sources (e.g. heat from industrial processes or biogas plants that is not yet used). Especially the combination of solar heating and biomass heating is a very promising strategy for smaller rural communities due to its contribution to security of supply, price stability, local economic development, local employment, etc. On the one hand, solar heating requires no fuel and on the other hand biomass heating can store energy and release it during winter when there is less solar heat available. Thereby, heat storage (buffer tanks for short- term storage and seasonal tanks/basins for long- term storage) needs to be integrated. With increasing shares of fluctuating renewable electricity production (PV, wind), the Power-to- Heat conversion through heat pumps can furthermore help to balance the power grid. The objective of the CoolHeating project, funded by the EU’s Horizon2020 programme, is to support the implementation of "small modular renewable heating and cooling grids" for communities in South-Eastern Europe.