A rapid-assessment model on the potential of district energy:The case of Temuco in Chile

District energy systems(DES)offer an optimal solution for decarbonising the heating and cooling sector while attaining multiple additional benefits.The first step to analyse the potential of DES in both new and existing markets is through rapid assessments(RA).Currently,publicly available models lack rapid assessments of the technical-economic and environmental potential of DES.This RA model was developed within the framework of UNEP’s District Energy in Cities Initiative to identify DES’s potential spending low time and monetary resources.In this light,the study presents a model for conducting a rapid assessment applied to the case of Temuco,Chile.Results show that a total of 55 MW DH(district heating)capacity is required to cover the heating demand.A wood-chip boiler of 25 MW capacity and a gas boiler of 30 MW capacity are considered in the calculations.The total CAPEX of the project is around 25 billion CLP,with a NPV of 10.5 billion CLP and an IRR of 14%.The project is also estimated to achieve an annual reduction of 24,382 tons of PM10 and 23,692 tons of PM2.5.The model was validated against an independent study conducted by an international consulting company,and the results were found to be in close proximity with the study.Thus,the model can be an effective tool for performing rapid assessments of DES projects in the region and subjecting attractive projects to more detailed pre-feasibility analysis.

Drivers and barriers to energy-efficient technologies(EETs)in EU residential buildings

To achieve carbon targets,the European Union(EU)aims to promote nearly zero-energy buildings(nZEB).To enable the necessary transition,technical solutions need to converge with socio-economic factors,such values and awareness of stakeholders involved in the decision-making process.In this light,the aim of this paper is to characterise perceived drivers and barriers to nine energy-efficient technologies(EET),according to key decision-makers’and persuaders of the technology selection in the EU residential building context.Results are collected across eight EU countries,i.e.Belgium(BE),Germany(DE),Spain(ES),France(FR),Italy(IT),Netherlands(NL),Poland(PL),and United Kingdom(UK).The stakeholders’selected are architects,construction companies,engineers,installers and demand-side actors.Data from a multi-country survey is analysed to calculate the share of 15 drivers and 21 barriers(aggregated to 5 groups),being selected for each EET and country.The 5 groups considered to analyse drivers and barriers are environmental,technical,economic,social,legal.The perceived barriers and drivers were further studied for their association across the countries using the Pearson’s Chi2 and a Cramer’s V tests.The results demonstrate that across all EETs and countries,the technical and economic driver groups are perceived to have the highest potential to increase the implementation rate of EET.In terms of barriers,economic aspects are seen as the foremost reason that EET are not scaling faster.In both drivers and barriers legal aspects are the least often selected.In overall the barrier groups show significant variation across countries compared to driver groups.These findings provide an evidence-basis to better understand arguments in favour and against specific EETs and,in this way,support policy makers and other interested parties to increase the market share of the selected solutions.