District Energy Plants explained
A District Energy System (DES) is a highly efficient means of producing thermal energy in a central plant and distributing it via pipeline to nearby buildings.
A typical DES consists of one or more centralized heating or cooling generation plants connected to a network of underground pipes that distribute steam, hot water, or chilled water to buildings on the network. DES energy plants are often capable of using a variety of fuels, including natural gas, oil or renewable energy. Heat may also be generated from either purchased fuel or waste heat.
Potentia’s district energy systems utilize clean (natural gas) energy sources to generate hot water, providing both space heating and domestic hot water. A single DES can be retrofitted to existing buildings (see Case Study) to provide reliable and highly cost-effective energy to each of them.
DESs can also cuts costs by minimizing maintenance and monitoring requirements for boilers, chillers and other HVAC equipment in each building. Owners can reduce their physical and carbon footprints when they convert multiple buildings to a DES for heating and/or cooling.
The economic viability of DESs relates closely to the energy density of the thermal customers being served. Consequently, district energy systems tend to be located in urban cores serving commercial, institutional and residential customers.
District energy technology has been in use since the early 20th century in several North American cities and prior to that was used (in a more primitive form) for hundreds of years in France. It has lately enjoyed renewed popularity due to the versatility it offers as a conduit of high-efficiency energy outputs from renewable resources.
