The District Heating and Cooling Research Group

Today's district heating systems are built for the heat needs of the past, and for fossil fuels. Today, there are completely different needs and requirements. To reflect current and future heat demands and heat supply sources, new technology choices and a comprehensive transition is needed. The District Heating and Cooling Research Group at Halmstad University is internationally recognised and works for more efficient district heating in the future.

The District Heating and Cooling Research Group, which is now led by Professor Urban Persson (previously by Professor Emeritus Sven Werner), was formed in 2008, and has since led and participated in a number of different projects, both in Sweden and internationally (see below for a selection of ongoing projects). The group's research can be gathered under the term "Fourth Generation District Heating", which was coined by Sven Werner. The concept has since been widely adopted. For example, the German government set aside SEK 1 billion in investment aid for innovations in the field a few years ago.

At Halmstad University, the concept “Fourth Generation District Heating” is often divided into the sub-areas Heat Supply Sources, New System Technology and Digitalisation. In each area, interesting research is underway. For example, a complete European implementation of the innovations proposed by the research group in the area of New System Technology would bring an estimated economic benefit of SEK 30 billion per year. The technology means, among other things, that the temperature in the district heating networks can be reduced by ten degrees beyond what other technology solutions are capable of. The planned Ranagård residential area in Halmstad, for example, will be one such application – the first in the world.

The District Heating and Cooling Research Group currently consists of: