Abstract
The chapter focuses on implementation of Industry 4.0 in energy management of a district heating system. The present objectives for implementation of digital technologies in district heating are analyzed. The barriers for sustainable and flexible district heating systems and challenges to overcome them are discussed. The objectives of energy management in district heating are presented. The realization of energy management stages in district heating tackling the digitalization challenge are presented. The chapter explores approaches and techniques to information support of decision making in energy management under conditions of uncertainty. The chapter describes the decision support system “HeatCAM” as a tool of energy management in district heating. This system will provide real-time monitoring and making decisions on regulation of heat consumption modes of the building on the consumer side in the condition of uncertainty.
TopDistrict Energy 4.0 Concept And Its Implementation
District heating (DH) plays a significant role in the supply of low-carbon heating and hot tap water all over the world. DH technology is most common in the countries with cold climate where the heat demand is large. It is particularly widespread in North, Central and Eastern Europe. In such countries as Iceland, Finland and Sweden the high amount of residential consumers are connected to DH system. In cities like Copenhagen, Helsinki, Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga as much as 90% of residential heat demands are satisfied by DH.
The DH system is a complex technological and socio-economic system, with heat generated in a central source and supplied for commercial and residential consumers to support comfort indoor air temperature in heated rooms. The consumers of the heat energy from the district heating systems in cities are usually houses, public sector buildings (organizations of education, science, culture and health) and some industrial enterprises.
The DH system generally consists of three main elements: the heat sources, the distribution system and the consumer. The heat carrier (hot water) circulates in pipes of the DH system and transmits the heat energy from the heat source to the consumer in heating systems. DH network as a rule is two-pipes, where there is one supply and one return pipeline.
The benefits of DH by comparison with other heating options are listed as follows (Euroheat & Power Task Force Customer Installations, 2011; the Guidance for district heating companies, 2012; Skagestad & Mildenstein, n.d.):
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Equipment and maintenance – the usage of DH at the customer end requires the installation equipment with compact size which is simple to run and maintain;
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High reliability and efficiency – DH systems are built with stand-by heating capacity to ensure that heat is always available at the central plant. The extensive range of primary fuels that can be utilized by DH makes heating supply very reliable. Renewable fuels can also be utilized.
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Cost – DH entails moderate investment costs and very low maintenance costs for the end consumer;
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Enviromental issues - using renewable and other low carbon fuels in heat generation, combined heat and power generation from a single fuel source allows to reduce primary energy use greenhouse gas emissions;
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Сomfort for consumers - no need to purchase and handle fuels, detect problems in the heating system and eliminate them.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Decision Support System: An interactive system, that can produce data and information, in some cases, contribute to the understanding relating to this subject area in order to provide useful assistance in solving complex and ill-defined problems.
Forecasting: The use of historic data to determine the direction of future trends.
Energy Management System: A system of computer-aided tools used by operators of electric utility grids to monitor, control, and optimize the performance of the generation and/or transmission system.
Monitoring: An act of observing something to regulate and control processes in observed system.
District Heating: An economic activity related to supplying heat produced centrally in one or several locations to a non-restricted number of customers.
Energy Information System: The software, data acquisition hardware, and communication systems used to store, analyze, and display building energy data.
Information System: An integrated set of components for collecting, storing, and processing data and for delivering information, knowledge, and digital products.
Energy Management: Energy management is the proactive, organized, and systematic coordination of procurement, conversion, distribution and use of energy to meet the requirements, taking into account environmental and economic objectives.