We are delighted to announce a new EP project – LIFE Low2HighDH. EP has supported the setting-up process and will continue to be part of the consortium, consisting of eight partners across Europe. Our involvement will be in the work packages on project management, communication and dissemination, and cross-EU synergy activities.
LIFE Low2HighDH (Developing methodologies for the integration of low-grade energy sources into high-temperature district heating networks) is a LIFE project dedicated to promoting the utilisation of low-grade or waste heat technologies in District Heating and highlighting their benefits. The consortium will assist at least 30 high-temperature district heating sites in Poland, Slovakia and Lithuania in implementing these technologies and support them by providing an investment plan to help them meet the criteria for ‘efficient district heating and cooling’ as outlined in the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. Technologies for low-grade Renewable Energy Sources to be explored will include solar thermal, low-temperature geothermal, and heat pumps as ‘the enabling technology’ to harness low-grade heat sources, as well as use waste heat.
With a total budget of 1 423 554.75 EUR, of which 1 352 377.02 EUR EU funding, the project is expected to trigger EUR 454 million in investments in sustainable energy – thermal Renewable Energy Sources technologies and waste heat – to replace 1 TWh/year of fossil fuels with and mitigate 291 thousand tonnes of CO2 emissions.
The call has been co-financed under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme which succeeds the Intelligent Energy Europe (2003-2013) and Horizon 2020 Energy Efficiency (2014-2020) initiatives and dedicates nearly EUR 1 billion from 2021 to 2027 to foster EU sustainable energy policies, notably the European Green Deal, the Energy Union’s 2030 targets, and the EU’s 2050 decarbonisation strategy. This programme funds high-value EU coordination and support actions across Europe, targeting market barriers to sustainable energy transitions involving a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including SMEs, public authorities, non-profits, and consumers.
The project is set to officially launch on 1 October 2023, followed by a kick-off meeting planned for the end of the month in Madrid, Spain. We are looking forward to working on this exciting project – stay tuned to learn more.