The USAID Energy Security Project (USAID ESP) and the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine (Ministry of Infrastructure) conducted the 7th Technical Workshop for 200 participants representing the central and local authorities and district heating utilities. The goal was to enhance the audience’s knowledge of European trends in developing efficient district heating and using modern energy technologies. This time, the participants discussed using CCHP units to improve the efficiency of district heating and decarbonize the final energy consumption.
Natalia Khotsianivska, Director of the Utility Department at the Ministry of Infrastructure, highlighted in her welcome address the global warming issues and the increased demand for air conditioners. Ms. Khotsianivska noted the development of centralized air conditioning systems in many European cities, including northern countries like Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Such systems are often based on already established district heating systems with a significant co-generation component. Such centralized cold generation systems are deemed more environmentally friendly and require twice as low energy as regular air conditioners.
Such centralized air conditioning technologies are much needed in Ukraine and should be considered in the context of DH modernization projects. According to USAID ESP Chief of Party Michael Trainor, the Project supports local municipalities and DH companies procuring cogeneration units to help the efficient and reliable heat supply across the country under war conditions. Michael Trainor noted that trigeneration based on the DH systems with cogeneration would be considered a promising technology for the new residential construction projects and the post-war reconstruction of the ruined Ukrainian cities. It complies with European trends in building efficient heat supply systems and ensuring effective decarbonization.
Combined cooling, heat, and power units are more economically beneficial than mere heat and power cogeneration. Trigeneration technology enables the effective use of thermal energy for heating in wintertime and the effective refrigeration of buildings and industrial refrigeration in summer. Thus, CCHP units may be effectively used throughout the year, particularly in summer when the demand for heating is low and refrigeration needs are increasing every year.
The trigeneration and centralized refrigeration technologies will help to:
- Ensure affordable air conditioning for households and social facilities
- Deal with power usage at peak levels and mitigate power surges when the weather is hot
- Enhance the energy efficiency of cogeneration units throughout the summer
- Enhance general efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas emissions
The participants learned about the key European trends in district heating and refrigeration industries in the context of decarbonization of energy consumption (the presentation of Vadym Matkovskyi, USAID ESP District Heating Economist), reviewed the trigeneration technologies and opportunities to provide effective district heating and refrigeration services (presentation of Kyryl Baranchyuk, Technical Support Engineer, Dnafoss LLC), acquired knowledge of the global trends in refrigeration as a part of urban sustainable development (presentation of Zhuolun Chen, Senior Advisor – Energy Efficiency and Finance, UN Environment Program), learned how to determine specific fuel costs associated with power, heat and cold generation by trigeneration units (presentation of Sergii Dubovskyi, PhD, Lead Researcher at the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), and learned about the possibilities to increase the load on gas cogeneration units throughout the summer by connecting an absorption heat pump to generate cold (presentation Volodymyr Maistryshyn, Energy Case LLC).