17 March 2015: The International Energy Agency (IEA) and Clean Energy Ministerial’s (CEM) Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and Efficient District Heating and Cooling (DHC) Working Group have co-hosted a Sustainable Urban Energy Systems Workshop, focused on the creation of a more sustainable, flexible and integrated energy system.

Over 40 participants from industry, academia, governments and international organizations heard presentations and engaged in discussions on opportunities and barriers for the deployment of CHP and DHC technology. The workshop underscored that: CHP and DHC can improve energy efficiency and increase energy system flexibility to enable higher shares of renewable energy; more than 25% of the global energy supply is lost before it reaches end uses, while 50% of global energy in buildings is used for heat; and the potential for CHP and DHC to increase efficiency. The CHP/DHC Working Group, in support of the 2016 edition of IEA’s Energy Technology Perspectives on urban energy systems, is providing expertise and data for developing an analytical framework for local energy system analysis.

Workshop presentations addressed how the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive will address the efficiency of heating in buildings through comprehensive assessment; and the use of CHP and DHC in urban settings. Examples of cities using the technology included: plans to increase its share of renewable district heat to 50% by 2016 in Tampere, Finland; and a target to connect 40% of buildings to district heating networks by 2040 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The workshop convened on 25 February 2015 as a side event at the European Commission’s Heating and Cooling in the European Energy Transition conference held in Brussels, Belgium. The CHP and efficient DHC Working Group is part of the CEM’s Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership initiative. [CEM Press Release] [Working Group Website]