Basic funding programme for the transformation of heating networks

Carmen Steiner_stock.adobe.com_621963238

District heating networks are an important supply element for greenhouse gas-neutral heat supply. They help to tap into renewable energy sources and waste heat potential at optimised economic and business costs. However, renewable energies in district heating networks often have an economic efficiency gap compared to fossil alternatives. In this project, a funding concept for a "Federal Programme for Efficient Heating Networks" was developed. The economic viability, funding conditions, legal framework and characteristics of the individual technologies were analysed.

The funding concept developed is based on four pillars:

1. Promotion of preparatory conceptualisation (e.g. in the form of feasibility studies for new grids or in the form of transformation plans for existing grids). The heating network transformation plan shows a development path for existing heating networks with concrete implementation measures for the next 30 years up to a target state of a defossilised heating network.
2. Investment cost subsidies for individual measures for the construction of solar thermal systems, large heat pumps, biomass boilers, heat storage systems and heating networks.
3. Systemic funding on the basis of a transformation plan that sensibly bundles measures in existing heating networks.
4. A model for feed-in tariffs for heat from solar thermal energy and large heat pumps was also developed in order to minimise the profitability gap in the operation of renewable heating networks.

A detailed technology-specific analysis was carried out for the funding concept. In addition, a concept for implementation under state aid law was drawn up. The project also defined a series of accompanying instruments that could contribute to the success of the programme. Based on an estimate of possible sales development - assuming a fundamentally positive environment with further framework conditions - the programme would lead to an expansion of up to 23 TWh of additional renewable heat generation in 2030. This would require subsidies totalling EUR 200 to 1,300 million per year. According to the estimates, the investments triggered by this would amount to around 12 billion euros. The annual savings were also estimated and would amount to around 4.2 million tonnes of CO2 in 2030.