The tool assesses heating and cooling demand, efficiency and supply across Europe through visual and technical data on the location and scale of heating and cooling. It works through searching for a specific location and then combining up to ten information layers.
Newly added features include a distribution costs layer that identifies areas where district heating infrastructure investments are most cost-effective; renewable resources layers that show regional and local potential for renewables including geothermal, solar and biomass; and a Heat Synergy Regions layer that compares heat demand with nearby sources of excess heat in a defined area, helping to identify regional planning priorities.
The tool is aimed at helping European governments, businesses, consultants, academics and planners to make informed decisions about investments in energy efficiency measures and use of untapped alternative energy sources for heating and cooling. It also aims to support the implementation of European climate commitments, ensure wiser investment of public money, reduce costs for consumers, and cut carbon emissions and energy consumption, the project partners said.
Dominique Ristori, European Commission director-general for energy, said: “Heating and cooling needs are different across Europe, requiring tailored efficient solutions to meet them. The Energy Efficiency Directive calls on Member States to use thermal maps to start determining these solutions – Peta4 will be valuable for many of them.”
The tool is available here.
Source: Decentralised Energy