The opportunity for district energy

The buildings sector is responsible for one third of global CO2 emissions and the share of this sector’s emissions is growing rapidly. To avoid this carbon lock-in cities and countries around the world are employing a combined approach to heating and cooling, focused on reducing demand through building efficiency measures and shifting to low-carbon, renewable supply through modern district energy systems.
At COP21, SSG were invited to moderate a panel on ‘District Energy and Buildings Efficiency – Cities enabling countries to meet their climate objectives’ where Yuill highlighted the importance of land-use policy in avoiding carbon lock-in on a panel with speakers from Helsinki (heating and cooling district energy), the private sector (Danfoss and Johnson Controls), United Nations Environment Program, UAE and the Global Environment Facility, a funding mechanism. UNEP launched their report on ‘District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’, which you can read here.