District energy: a secret weapon for climate action and human health
If you’re sweltering in Delhi or shivering in Detroit and want affordable, environmentally friendly cooling or heating, district energy may be your best bet. A district energy system is a network of pipes that heat and cool buildings across a neighbourhood or entire city. Modern district energy systems connect renewables, waste heat, thermal storage, power grids, thermal grids and heat pumps—delivering up to 50 per cent less primary energy consumption for heating and cooling. Visionary cities and countries have been able to decarbonize heating and cooling and achieve high efficiency, renewable energy, and CO2targets with modern district energy. To replicate and scale up best practices worldwide, UN Environment launched the District Energy in Cities Initiative.“Installing district energy systems in cities is a win-win solution for people and planet,” says UN Environment climate specialist Niklas Hagelberg. “In 2018, 15 new cities joined the UN Environment-coordinated initiative and committed to district energy actions.”About the District Energy in Cities Initiative In 2016, during the Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador, 197 nations adopted the New Urban Agenda, which recognizes modern district energy systems as a key solution to integrate renewables and energy efficiency in cities. The District Energy in Cities Initiative is coordinated by UN Environment with financial support from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the Global Environment Facility, and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Protection of Land and Sea. As one of six accelerators of the Sustainable Energy for All Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform, the Initiative aims to double the rate of energy efficiency improvements for heating and cooling in buildings by 2030, helping countries meet their climate and sustainable development targets. The Initiative supports local and national governments to build know-how and implement enabling policies that will accelerate investment in low-carbon and climate-resilient district energy systems. It currently provides technical support to 36 cities in four pilot countries (Chile, China, India and Serbia) and 10 replication countries (Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Egypt, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, Russia, the Seychelles and Tunisia). This article was originally publish by UN Environment: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/district-energy-secret-weapon-climate-action-and-human-health