May 2014: Interesting to see that UNEP are now looking more in depth of the role of district heating in cities. UNEP state that “It is time for a redefinition of District Energy. It is no longer exclusively about heat or surplus energy, the traditional drivers of district energy. It’s about local production and consumption – and not only at a building level. It’s about sharing energy between buildings. And it’s about resource efficiency.DES is not a technology, but an approach to applying technologies to co-ordinate heat/cool/power supply. It represents a paradigm shift in urban planning which includes utility services as a component of community development.”
A document ‘District Energy in Cities: Policies for Deployment’ is currently in preparation. Details here.