Current and Future Trends of District Heating System for a Sustainable Future and Greenhouse Gas Reduction

온실가스 감축 및 지속가능 미래를 위한 집단에너지사업 방향

Amid growing concerns about energy security, energy prices, economic competitiveness, and climate change, district heating (DH) system has been recognized for its significant benefits and the part it can play in efficiently meeting society's growing energy demands while reducing environmental impacts. Policy makers often need to quantify the fuel and carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) emissions savings of DH system compared to conventional individual heating (IH) system in order to estimate its actual emissions reductions. The objective of this paper is to calculate energy efficiency and $CO_2$ emissions saving, and to propose the future direction for DH system in Korea. DH system achieved total system efficiencies of 67.9% compared to 54.1% for IH system in 2015. DH system reduced $CO_2$ emissions by $381,311ton-CO_2$ (4.1%) compared to IH system. The results suggest that DH system is more preferred than IH system using natural gas. In Korea, the aim is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to use energy more efficiently. DH system have significant potential with regard to achieving this aim, because DH system are already integrated with power generation in the electricity since combined heating and power (CHP) are used for heat supply. Although the future conditions for DH may look promising, the current DH system in Korea must be enhanced in order to handle future competition. Thus, the next DH system must be integrated with multiple renewable energy and waste heat energy sources.