Sino-Danish district heating conference and knowledge sharing seminar

On June the 4th the Danish Energy Agency co-hosted and participated in a conference on district heating in the Chinese city Changchun. The conference focused on how efficient district heating can become more widespread in China.

Last year the President of China, Xi Jinping, stated that a Chinese energy revolution was needed and he especially pointed to the need of a more efficient and coherent/coordinated energy system. District heating (e.g. based on combined heat and power production) can play a major role in such a transformation to a cleaner and more efficient Chinese energy system. In order to share the extensive Danish experiences and to facilitate the build-up of an efficient Chinese system, the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) together with the Chinese National Energy Conservation Centre (NECC) and local Chinese partners hosted a conference in the city of Changchun in the Jilin-province in the northeastern part of China.

China is eager to learn more about the Danish experiences with district heating
In his opening remarks for the conference, the Deputy Director General of the NECC, Mr Jia Fusheng, emphasized the good and constructive relationship between Denmark and China and how the further development of district heating is a key component in order to bring down the GHG-emissions of the Chinese energy sector. According to Mr Fusheng China should take into consideration the Danish experiences on how to develop a highly efficient district heating system, when the Chinese set out to design their own system.

The conference focused both on regulatory and technological aspects of district heating. The regulatory aspects were presented by the NECC and the DEA. NECC focused on the regulatory framework regarding energy efficiency in China while the DEA gave insights on the history of Danish district heating, the main characteristics of the Danish system, and the challenges ahead.

Several companies used the conference as an opportunity to showcase their solutions targeted at the district heating sector. Chinese as well as Danish companies such as Grundfos, Danfoss, Kamstrup and Broen participated, and benefitted from the opportunity to connect with the Chinese authorities responsible for the district heating system.

“The Jilin event was a successful activity and we as a company appreciated the opportunity to talk to the Chinese authorities and to show how Grundfos can contribute to the further development of district heating in China” – Jack Zhu, Senior District Energy Business Specialist, Grundfos

The presentations from the companies made it quite clear that efficient and state-of-the art solutions are available on the Chinese market. However there seems to be a challenge regarding financing district heating projects. One possibility for solving this issue could be to engage with the Asian Development Bank, who at the conference presented several examples of how they have invested in the development of low-carbon and efficient heating systems.

Sharing regulatory experiences and best case examples
The participants at the seminar was given a new publication about Denmark’s historical development of district heating, the regulatory framework supporting the planning of district heating, and best practice case examples made by the Danish Energy Agency, DBDH and State of Green.