District heating systems (DHSs) enable thermal energy to be directly and efficiently produced to meet the global challenges of climate change and energy supply. DHSs can combine different renewable energy sources such as biomass or solar energy. Bioenergy is shown as an efficient energy supply that can be used as an alternative to coal for thermal energy applications. This study analyses how to apply a hybrid-modular system for DHS by combining biomass and solar energy. A parametric methodology is developed to conduct a feasibility analysis for the integration of systems in environments for coal energy conversion. Results reveal the technical viability of using thermal hybrid systems for DHS. The proposed thermal energy system produces a total heating load of 759 GJ/year. Emissions reduction is 110 t CO2/year compared with an equivalent coal based thermal system.

Authors: Beatriz M. Paredes-Sánchez, José P. Paredes-Sánchez

Published in: World Congress on Sustainable Technologies (WCST-2021)

• Date of Conference: 7-9 December 2021
• DOI: 10.20533/WCST.2021.0002
• ISBN: 978-1-913572-41-9
• Conference Location: Virtual (London, UK)