PED topic 3: PEDs in urban heating and cooling strategies

Integrating PEDs in urban heating and cooling strategies offers substantial potential to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, enhance urban sustainability and lead to net zero and climate neutral cities. PEDs can optimise urban district heating and cooling networks by supplying surplus renewable energy or utilising waste heat from local industries and buildings, shared infrastructure reduces redundancy and enhances system efficiency across neighbourhoods. PEDs incorporate technologies such as geothermal systems, heat pumps, solar thermal systems, and heat recovery systems to provide sustainable heating and cooling solutions. As part of climate adaptation strategies, developing feasible cooling strategies, including passive cooling, is an emerging challenge in many parts of Europe.

Heating and cooling solutions should be accessible to all, including low-income families. Collective heating/cooling systems, when combined with extensive renovation support, can ensure an inclusive transition. Energy strategies should consider economic barriers and ensure cost distribution is fair. This topic aims to explore the function and benefits of PEDs for heating and cooling strategies and its potential for the overall decarbonisation, as well as its scalability and replicability potential. Local, regional and national differences in the organisation of heating and cooling networks (central vs. decentral existing systems) need to be considered and operationalised.

Local governments need to take a proactive role in enabling infrastructure for heating and cooling networks. More policy alignment at the EU and national levels is needed to create incentives and regulatory frameworks for effective implementation for multi-energy approaches and network flexibility.

Proposals under this topic must explore innovative ways to integrate PED elements into urban heating and cooling strategies to enhance energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and ensure sustainable and inclusive energy solutions. Proposals should address the technological, economic, and regulatory challenges related to heating and cooling within PEDs, ensuring their scalability and replicability across different urban contexts. In particular, proposals should address the following aspects:

Optimisation of district heating and cooling networks: Proposals need to investigate how PEDs can enhance the efficiency of urban heating and cooling networks by leveraging surplus renewable energy, waste heat recovery, and shared infrastructure to reduce redundancy and improve system-wide performance. Furthermore, existing innovative solutions regarding an applied mix of passive design (insulation, shading, natural ventilation, etc.) and active technologies (heat pumps, district heating, electric/microwave boilers, etc.) need to be explored and further developed in an innovative way. Specifically, regarding the growing need for cooling strategies, there are lessons to be learned and explored from existing traditional cooling methods in hotter climates.

Integration of renewable and low-carbon technologies: Proposals need to explore applied and context-specific technological heating & cooling solutions (role of geothermal systems, heat pumps, solar thermal systems, heat recovery technologies in delivering sustainable heating and cooling solutions within PEDs, etc.).

Fair and inclusive access to heating and cooling: Collective heating and cooling systems, when combined with extensive renovation support, can ensure an inclusive transition. Proposals need to develop strategies to ensure low-income and vulnerable communities benefit from collective heating and cooling solutions, with a focus on cost-effective renovations, fair cost distribution, and financial support mechanisms to prevent energy poverty.

Scalability and replicability of PED heating and cooling models: Proposals need to assess how different local, regional, and national heating and cooling systems (centralised vs. decentralised) impact PED integration and propose adaptable strategies for different urban settings. Considering context specificities in terms of analysing existing infrastructure, local policies and regulations, availability of RES, socio-economic aspects and similar, proposals should deliver scalable and actionable solutions that contribute to the decarbonisation of urban heating and cooling while ensuring social inclusivity, economic feasibility, and environmental benefits.

Regulatory and policy considerations: Proposals need to examine how existing policies, incentives, and market structures can be adapted to facilitate PED-based heating and cooling solutions, including the role of public-private partnerships and regulatory frameworks that support collective energy systems.

Project proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following issues:

• How can PEDs optimise district heating and cooling networks by leveraging surplus renewable energy, waste heat recovery, and shared infrastructure to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions?
• What is the role of renewable and low-carbon technologies (e.g., geothermal systems, heat pumps, solar thermal systems, and heat recovery) in delivering sustainable and scalable heating and cooling solutions within PEDs?
• How can fair and inclusive access to heating and cooling be ensured, particularly for low-income and vulnerable communities, while addressing economic barriers and preventing energy poverty?
• What are the key factors for scaling and replicating PED-based heating and cooling models across different urban contexts, considering variations in centralised vs. decentralised systems and regional infrastructure?
• How can regulatory frameworks and policy incentives be adapted to support the integration of PEDs into urban heating and cooling strategies, and what role can public-private partnerships play in enabling this transition?

Rather than focusing on isolated technical solutions, projects are expected to approach this topic through systems thinking and place-based strategies related to the topic. Project outcomes should be both impact-oriented and process-driven, aiming to be as concrete and user-centred as possible. Projects should clearly define their expected qualitative and/or quantitative outputs (including facts and figures)  in relation to the chosen question. Expected outputs include, but are not limited to:

• Technical solutions and models for optimising district heating and cooling networks within PEDs, incorporating energy efficiency and passive design solutions, surplus renewable energy, waste heat recovery, and shared infrastructure.
• Demonstration projects or pilot cases showcasing the integration of renewable and low-carbon technologies in urban heating and cooling strategies.
• Guidelines and best practices for ensuring fair and inclusive access to heating and cooling, addressing affordability, renovation support, and cost distribution strategies.
• Scalability and replicability frameworks that outline adaptable PED heating and cooling models for different urban contexts (centralised vs. decentralised systems).
• Policy recommendations and regulatory frameworks to support PED-based heating and cooling, including public-private partnership models and incentive structures.
• Socio-economic impact assessments evaluating the effects of PED-based heating and cooling solutions on energy poverty, community well-being, and urban sustainability.