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H.C. Chen

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From Nuisance to Nurture

Using Residual Heat for Low-Temperature Local Heating Systems in Cities

Conference paper - A.A.J.F. van den Dobbelsteen, H.C. Chen, H.C. Chen, M.K. Dang, P. Voskuilen

According to the Paris Agreement, cities need to be carbon neutral by 2050. This entails a dramatic transition from a fossil fuel based built environment to one entirely running on renewable energy. In many European cities this means moving away from natural gas as prime source. At present, three options are generally considered as alternatives to a fossil energy system: (1) all-electric, using solar or wind power and solar heat or heat pump systems, (2) district heating, using high-temperature industrial waste heat or geothermal heat, (3) green gas, which can be biogas or synthetic gases as green hydrogen or synthetic methane. In addition, hybrid solutions are also an option. Which of the sustainable alternatives is most suited strongly depends on the urban plan, building typology and technology used so far. Districts with a great extent of repetition can be easier renovated to a net zero-energy plan than an area with a great variety of building types. High-density districts are suited for relatively expensive district heating. Districts that are neither are usually designated for a green gas-based system. The problem however is that few cities can produce sufficient biogas or do not have a renewable power over-production to generate synthetic gases. This in particular applies to historic city centres. The 17th-century inner city of Amsterdam is facing a similar problem. The municipality decided to keep this part of the Dutch capital connected to the gas grid, but under the condition that the demand for gas would be reduced by 70%, as to enable usage of locally produced green gas. However, with a great share of listed buildings – a large part of the inner city of Amsterdam is Unesco World Heritage – such a reduction in heat demand is virtually impossible. Or is it? From various studies it is known that the old city centre has considerable sources of renewable heat, among which residual heat from cooling processes and exhaust air. This heat is now released into the air, disturbing the temperature in the city and getting lost for other purposed. In the research project presented, sources of renewable heat and residual heat were investigated, quantified and proposed as feed-in for a low-temperature heat (and cold) network, including seasonal storage. The full paper will discuss this study relevant to many cities across the continent.@en

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No Gas All Local

Developing a renewable-based and decentralised energy system for the historic centre of Amsterdam

Master thesis - M.F. Ayaz, R.M.J. Bokel, H.C. Chen, K.B.M. Peters

Urban energy systems are the key elements of combating the climate crisis as the energy transition is crucial to curb greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas, one of the main drivers of climate change. As such, there is a great effort in Amsterdam to phase out natural gas use by 2040, and to become carbon neutral by 2050. It is a great challenge since the existing centralised energy systems are specifically built on the transportation and use of large amounts of fossil fuels while renewable energy has many limitations due to the volatility of its sources, lack of capacity for energy load and storage. Yet, since renewable energy sources are locally available everywhere, the establishment of decentralised renewable energy infrastructures based on local sources can help overcome these limitations. On this basis, this research explores the possibility of developing such systems through a case study in the historic centre of Amsterdam where many local challenges like urban monumentality pose risks for the energy transition. The research is structured around the use of Smart Urban Isle approach as a methodological tool to reveal local potentials for energy reduction, reuse and production, and to design energy concepts based on these potentials to reduce the reliance on external energy input. The results of the case study show that it is possible to cover the heat and cold demand with local sources and to cut almost half of the external energy input into the site without bringing any significant pressure onto the power grid. This outcome is highly promising as it proves that such local interventions can make great contributions to the energy transition process by significantly reducing the tension on the regional and national energy systems for the replacement of fossil fuels. As for the field of architecture and urban planning, the results implicate that the bioclimatic design principles, mixed-use of buildings and urban spaces, and small-scale and decentralised urban infrastructures based on the circular economy and self-sufficiency principles are crucial to achieve higher energy efficiencies and more local energy inputs.