A milestone for solar based district heating has been passed. The total solar thermal capacity in Danish district heating is now above 1 GW.
The status after first half of 2019 shows that the total capacity is at 1.1 GWth provided by almost 1.6 million m2 of solar collectors (aperture area) from 120 district heating plants. In comparison the total Danish PV capacity (electrical) is in the same range while the wind power is above 6 GW.
The map is showing the development from 1988 to June 2019. Place the cursor over the map to pause the slideshow.
The oldest system on the list is still in operation more than 30 years from its date of commissioning. The biggest system close to Silkeborg has a capacity of 110 MW and consist of more than 156,000 m2 collector area. 29 of the systems have been expanded at some point. Average size is 9 MW or approx. 13,000 m2 in collector aperture area. While almost all use flat plate collectors some are based on parabolic trough (Brønderslev and Taars) or a focusing Fresnel foil (Lendemarke). Similarly, a wide variety of solar fractions are seen, but a clear trend around 20 % is seen. However, much larger solar fractions are also realised in some plants by using seasonal heat storages.
Read more on Danish SDH trends in the report
Solar District Heating Trends and Possibilities – Characteristics of Ground-Mounted Systems for Screening of Land Use Requirements and Feasibility.
PlanEnergi has been at the forefront of the development and planning of the district heating sector since the beginning, including the use of large solar heating systems with Brædstrup and Dronninglund as some of the largest examples.
Danish district heating is the most innovative district heating sector in the world, because there is an open exchange of experience among the plants. This is possible, because in Denmark – in contrast to most other countries – district heating is supplied by non-profit companies, and therefore there is no business to keep good ideas to oneself. Savings realised by intelligent long term investments must always be passed on to the consumers.
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