LTDE– repBC

The project aims at tackling implementation barriers to LTDE, focusing on building capacities and raising awareness among key stakeholders of the regional energy value chain to facilitate multi-level integration of LTDE. To answer this overall objective, one goal of the project will be to provide a set of efficient sustainable business models that can be adapted to a variety of European contexts. The second goal of the project is to ensure that these business models can be implemented – in the sense that the regional framework conditions support their implementation. 

To reach this goal, we will analyse the framework conditions for the development of LTDE and design recommendations to stakeholders on strategies to better align the proposed business models and the policy and governance frameworks. The final goal of the project is to ensure capacity building and awareness raising on LTDE. This will be done both at a case study level (with cases in Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland) through case-specific context analysis and case-specific recommendations on business models and implementation strategies,  and at a national and European levels through workshops, webinars, practitioner reports, academic communications and popular science deliverables.

The project tackles some of the most pressing barriers to the development and deployment of low-temperature district energy (heating & cooling) systems in Europe. Through the project’s outputs, we will equip key stakeholders—municipalities, operators, citizens, developers, and investors—with a set of comprehensive business models that facilitates the adoption of low-temperature DHC and ensure sustainable value creation (including environmental and social values). These business models will be adaptable, allowing for implementation across various European cities as part of their urban energy transition strategies.

Recommendations to policymakers on the regulatory and economic conditions needed to support LTDE will also be developed, ensuring a supportive policy environment. Beyond providing a "green" solution, our business cases will embed a holistic community perspective, encompassing sector coupling, resilience, equitable access to clean energy, user comfort, governance transparency, and participatory decision-making. By co-creating our findings with our cooperation partners, we ensure their relevance and useability, as well as strengthen their potential for replicability and further usage after the project finalisation.