TEMPO – Temperature Optimisation for Low-Temperature District Heating across Europe

The TEMPO – Temperature Optimisation for Low-Temperature District Heating across Europe – project developed technical innovations that enable district heating networks to operate at lower temperatures. By decreasing the temperature in the systems, it reduces heat losses and allows a higher share of renewable and excess heat to be used as heat sources. The use of these heat sources will be crucial to adapt current district heating systems and create new ones suitable for a sustainable energy system.

Six technological innovations that contribute to minimising the temperature in networks and enables a cost-efficient implementation of low temperature networks have undergone final development in TEMPO. Each of the innovations has brought value to most district heating networks individually. However, the main strength of this project lies in the combination of the individual technologies into solution packages for dedicated application areas.

Six technological innovations that contribute to minimising the temperature in networks and enables a cost-efficient implementation of low-temperature networks have undergone final development in TEMPO. Each of the innovations has brought added value to most district heating networks individually. However, the main strength of this project lies in the combination of the indi vidual technologies into solution packages for dedicated application areas.

The developed innovations are demonstrated and implemented in 2 district heating networks which cover 90% of the district heating market types. The two demonstration sites of TEMPO are located in:

• Nuremberg Region (Germany) – New rural low-temperature district heating network
• Brescia (Italy) – Existing high-temperature district heating network

Additionally, TEMPO developed innovative approaches to consumer empowerment enabled by digital solutions. The project developed new business models and demonstrated their replication potential for the roll-out of sustainable and economically viable district heating networks across the EU.

EnergyVille/VITO was the project coordinator, work package leader for the technological district heating innovations and assisted the German company Enerpipe in the implementation of the decentralised thermal energy storage system in their demo site. Furthermore, EnergyVille/VITO was responsible for the exploitation and replication part of the project bringing the innovations together with the partners to the market. EnergyVille/VITO worked on (self-learning) optimisation algorithms and data mining and was the technology provider of the algorithms for the different digitalisation solutions.

In the future the developed TEMPO innovations will be brought to the market, new research and innovation projects on district heating networks will be started and new advanced algorithms and models will be developed that can deliver business and improved services for the district heating community.

TEMPO kicked off in October 2017 and ended in March 2022. It was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme for Research and Innovation.