The energy transition is one of the biggest challenges of our time and requires a new way of thinking in all sectors. As part of the solution, greenventory has developed an innovative software module to support municipal heating planning. In Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, the city and the public utilities are working together with greenventory to create a sustainable heat plan.
The four stages of heat planning
The municipal heat planning in Schwäbisch Hall is divided into four stages: Inventory analysis, potential analysis, development of target scenarios and creation of a transformation path and a catalogue of measures. In Schwäbisch Hall, greenventory worked closely with the municipal utilities and other local stakeholders to create a comprehensive data base. The municipal utilities provided building-specific heat consumption data, the district chimney sweep provided electronic sweep books, and the building and urban planning authorities provided further planning and GIS data. By combining this data with GreenVentory’s own energy models and statistics, it was possible to produce fast and targeted results.
Determination of local potential
The analysis of the potentials revealed a number of possibilities to meet the heat demand in Schwäbisch Hall in a more climate-friendly way in the future: Waste heat from local businesses and potential renewable energy sources were identified. In addition, possibilities for the renovation of buildings were analysed. Greenventory’s software tools provided a variety of ways to visualise and quickly identify opportunities and areas for improvement. By digitising this process, it was possible to promote cooperation between the various partners and to implement the heating planning efficiently.
Heat demand in Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall sets the course for a sustainable and future-proof energy supply
The results in Schwäbisch Hall are a clear example of how the use of data and digital tools is revolutionising municipal heating planning. Thanks to our comprehensive potential analysis, we were able to uncover previously untapped resources and develop targeted measures that will make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and achieving climate targets.
The successful implementation in Schwäbisch Hall has also shown the importance of a long-term perspective. Stakeholders should allow sufficient time for the development of a heat plan and take into account individual local conditions. Municipal heat planning is an important strategic planning instrument that sets the course for a sustainable and future-proof energy supply.
This is also the case in Schwäbisch Hall: once the municipal heating plan has been completed, the measures developed for a climate-neutral city are presented to the city council. The council can then implement the proposed measures.
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