Energy Community Utilising Local Surplus Heat and Electricity Sources

The concept of Positive Energy Districts has emerged over the last decade to describe the ability to produce more energy than is being consumed in a defined and limited urban space. In this study we use an energy system modelling tool, energyPRO, to analyse a specific case with one hundred single-family dwellings. These dwellings are heated through a thermal network using a heat pump to boost a nearby datacentre's surplus heat at 35 degrees Celsius. Electricity is imported or generated using local solar PV technology. Our analysis shows that, in the Danish climate, electricity and heat consumption for the heat pump and dwellings - not taking mobility into account - can be fully produced locally with an annual net balance. Our results indicate that each dwelling will need to have 53 m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> of solar PV for the district to provide enough power to be a positive energy district. In more densely populated areas with lower energy consumption, it will be less. Our conclusion is that this is possible but difficult and will require the involvement of everyone in the community.