EU executive sees role for district heating in Europe's energy transition

The European Commission sees networked systems of district heating and cooling (DHC) as one “essential” part of an EU strategy to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, but an industry event in Brussels on Tuesday once again highlighted differences over where the energy should come from.

“It is clear that district heating is a very good enabler of sector integration,” said Hans Van Steen, acting director for renewables, research and energy efficiency at the Commission's energy directorate. He was referring in part to the ability of DHC systems to act as a store or sink of heat from various sources.