Renewable energy sources can be used in district heating and cooling systems without increasing citizens’ energy bills or heating plants’ and local governments’ costs, while at the same time significantly contributing to the quality of the environment, primarily by reducing air pollution, says Bojan Bogdanović, Principal Fund Manager for Renewable District Energy in the Western Balkans at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The Fund is working on a number of projects aimed at decarbonizing district energy systems across the region – in Pančevo, Bor, Novi Sad, Niš, Sarajevo, Valjevo, Šabac, Zrenjanin, and Žabljak – which were developed in cooperation with heating plants and local governments and tailored to their needs and abilities.
Simultaneously, work is under way on expanding the scope of cooperation with other cities in the region.
The goal, according to Bogdanović, is to enable a sustainable development of district heating and cooling systems, rather than just solve individual problems.
What are the potentials for the application of renewable energy sources in district heating and cooling systems in the region? Which specific renewable sources do you have in mind?
If a separate solution is prepared for each city, according to its needs as well as abilities, which is what we are doing at the Fund, then opportunities are everywhere.
Renewable energy sources can be introduced in district heating and cooling systems without jeopardizing the living standards of consumers.
A very important thing in the preparation of any of our projects is to make sure that the proposed solution does not increase citizens’ heating costs or local governments’ expenditures. These costs can even be reduced, and we should also so keep in mind that the introduction of renewable energy sources brings a better environment and much cleaner air to all of us, as well as to the future generations, because they substitute the currently dominant fossil fuels – coal, oil products (fuel oil and light fuel oil) or natural gas.
The Fund focuses on the development and implementation of the following technological and technical solutions: solar thermal projects, heat pumps, geothermal energy, waste heat, biogas, and the energy of seas, lakes, and rivers.
Last year the ERBD set up the Renewable District Energy in the Western Balkans (ReDEWeB) Fund. What are the fund’s objectives?
The Fund was set up in 2019 in cooperation with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance as the principal donor, in order to boost investment in the application of renewable energy sources in district heating and cooling systems.
Investments are made through the preparation of projects and feasibility studies, improvements to regulatory frameworks that encourage private investors to invest in renewable energy sources, the introduction of renewables in local governments’ development plans, and the financing of projects.
The Fund covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
Its goals are to increase the share of renewables in the energy mix in order to meet the obligations from the Energy Community Treaty, support the market for renewables, build thermal storage facilities, improve energy efficiency in district heating systems, and create conditions for the private and public sectors to implement sustainable investments in this field.
How does the Fund operate?
The EBRD is a financial institution, but it is very important to note that the bank does not just provide financing, but also builds partnerships with local and international organizations and institutions, such as the ministries in charge of energy in Western Balkan countries, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Serbian Association of District Heating Plants, or Euroheat & Power, a European network of heating plants and district heating professionals.
This cooperation supports local governments and helps district heating plants find solutions tailored to the actual needs and local conditions. For example, together with our partners in Pančevo, Bor, Niš, Novi Sad, and Zrenjanin, we have determined that solar thermal technology can be the best solution for these cities.
This technology enables the utilization of solar thermal energy not only in summer months, but also in winter, thanks to surpluses generated during the summer and stored in the facility.
The Fund is working on a number of projects aimed at decarbonizing district energy systems across the region – in Pančevo, Bor, Novi Sad, Niš, Sarajevo, Valjevo, Šabac, Zrenjanin, and Žabljak – which were developed in cooperation with heating plants and local governments and tailored to their needs and abilities.
Simultaneously, work is under way on expanding the scope of cooperation with other cities in the region.
The goal, according to Bogdanović, is to enable a sustainable development of district heating and cooling systems, rather than just solve individual problems.
What are the potentials for the application of renewable energy sources in district heating and cooling systems in the region? Which specific renewable sources do you have in mind?
If a separate solution is prepared for each city, according to its needs as well as abilities, which is what we are doing at the Fund, then opportunities are everywhere.
Renewable energy sources can be introduced in district heating and cooling systems without jeopardizing the living standards of consumers.
A very important thing in the preparation of any of our projects is to make sure that the proposed solution does not increase citizens’ heating costs or local governments’ expenditures. These costs can even be reduced, and we should also so keep in mind that the introduction of renewable energy sources brings a better environment and much cleaner air to all of us, as well as to the future generations, because they substitute the currently dominant fossil fuels – coal, oil products (fuel oil and light fuel oil) or natural gas.
The Fund focuses on the development and implementation of the following technological and technical solutions: solar thermal projects, heat pumps, geothermal energy, waste heat, biogas, and the energy of seas, lakes, and rivers.
Last year the ERBD set up the Renewable District Energy in the Western Balkans (ReDEWeB) Fund. What are the fund’s objectives?
The Fund was set up in 2019 in cooperation with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance as the principal donor, in order to boost investment in the application of renewable energy sources in district heating and cooling systems.
Investments are made through the preparation of projects and feasibility studies, improvements to regulatory frameworks that encourage private investors to invest in renewable energy sources, the introduction of renewables in local governments’ development plans, and the financing of projects.
The Fund covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
Its goals are to increase the share of renewables in the energy mix in order to meet the obligations from the Energy Community Treaty, support the market for renewables, build thermal storage facilities, improve energy efficiency in district heating systems, and create conditions for the private and public sectors to implement sustainable investments in this field.
How does the Fund operate?
The EBRD is a financial institution, but it is very important to note that the bank does not just provide financing, but also builds partnerships with local and international organizations and institutions, such as the ministries in charge of energy in Western Balkan countries, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Serbian Association of District Heating Plants, or Euroheat & Power, a European network of heating plants and district heating professionals.
This cooperation supports local governments and helps district heating plants find solutions tailored to the actual needs and local conditions. For example, together with our partners in Pančevo, Bor, Niš, Novi Sad, and Zrenjanin, we have determined that solar thermal technology can be the best solution for these cities.
This technology enables the utilization of solar thermal energy not only in summer months, but also in winter, thanks to surpluses generated during the summer and stored in the facility.
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