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During the third and final workshop of the NEUTRON project, it was confirmed that this innovative pilot initiative for the decarbonization of Kozani's district heating system is technically feasible, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable.

 

Over two years of dedicated research, the project partners have overcome significant challenges, including gaining access to sensitive data from Kozani's District Heating system manager and developing specialized simulation models to accurately calculate the cost of thermal energy. Equally critical was the team’s groundbreaking work in describing an innovative technology that currently has no parallel at the European level.

 

The cornerstone of this initiative was the transformation of a bold concept into a concrete study plan, now ready for further development and funding exploration. The pilot project envisions replacing the thermal energy currently generated from fossil fuels with renewable energy sources for the Kozani District Heating system.

 

The primary objective of this endeavor is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with domestic heating in Kozani being the largest contributor to such emissions.

 

Research findings confirm that the project is both technologically and environmentally sound. Moreover, it promises substantial economic benefits for citizens and industries by lowering energy costs and reducing pollutant emissions.

 

This innovative pilot project deserves recognition from NetZeroCities and the European Commission as one of the few initiatives within the Pilot Cities program focusing on the development of cutting-edge technologies. Its design also allows for scalability, making it an attractive model for other European regions, particularly those with established District Heating or District Cooling systems.

 

The next steps include identifying financial tools to support the necessary studies for funding applications and integrating the project into a financial program aimed at advancing District Heating projects powered by renewable energy sources (RES).

 

The project partners expressed their satisfaction with the work's completion, highlighting the invaluable support of the Municipality of Kozani. This collective effort lays the groundwork for accelerating Kozani's transition to climate neutrality by 2030. Click the image below for more!

The Workshop concerned the potential of establishing a Citizens’ Energy Community and was organized after previous consultation with Kozani’s City Advisor and other NZC consultants on Energy Communities. 

 

The event centered around the theme of "Energy Communities" and underscored Kozani Municipality’s role as a lead partner in the European Pilot Cities program, part of the EU 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission.

 

The workshop explored innovative approaches to replacing the peak boiler station energy supply for Kozani District Heating with renewable energy sources (RES) in line with circular economy principles.

A primary objective is to reduce emissions from the heating sector, positioning Kozani as a model for cli Attendees were introduced to the potential of forming a Citizen’s Energy Community in Kozani, specifically to support the NEUTRON pilot. This initiative fosters greater public engagement in achieving climate neutrality.

 

Best practices from other Greek cities were shared, offering practical insights into successful Energy Community models.

 

A roundtable discussion encouraged citizen participation and dialogue on energy efficiency and community-driven climate action.

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The NEUTRON project took center stage at the 88th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), where Germany was the honored country, showcasing the innovation and collaboration driving the decarbonization of district heating in Kozani. Held from September 7–15, 2024, this year’s fair highlighted groundbreaking advancements in sustainability and energy, with NEUTRON prominently featured in the German Pavilion.

 

On September 11, 2024, the NEUTRON project was showcased at the Thessaloniki International Fair in the German Pavilion. The event featured three key presentations: Prof. Agis Papadopoulos discussed energy storage challenges and EYATH applications, Prof. Spiros Alexopoulos introduced the NEUTRON project’s role in advancing climate-neutral cities, and Daniel Hoegemann presented the Green Heat Module for industrial-scale sustainable heat and power. The session attracted experts, policymakers, and stakeholders, highlighting innovative energy solutions and fostering collaboration to accelerate the energy transition. The event reinforced NEUTRON's commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology.

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The highlight of NEUTRON’s participation was an engaging open discussion, “Advancing Kozani’s Energy Future: Decarbonizing the District Heating through Renewable Energy and Thermal Storage,” on September 14th. Attended by key stakeholders, industry leaders, and energy enthusiasts, the event underscored the transformative potential of renewable energy solutions and advanced thermal storage technologies in transitioning to a greener future.

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Innovative District Heating settings: Kozani’s “missing link” to the DH decarbonization 

 

As Kozani dive deeper in the innovative research on thermal energy storage for District Heating System, NEUTRON Pilot Cities Programme partners were actively participated on May 8th in Jülich at the 2nd Workshop, visiting also the multiTESS facility located at the Brainenergy Park which represents an interesting option for Kozani’s DHS boiler house peak thermal load demand.

 

The 2nd Workshop’s topic focused on the “missing link” in Kozani’s green transition, examining the best practices on thermal storage for district heating. The multiTESS facility which developed by Solar Institute Jülich (SIJ) at Aachen University of Applied Sciences along with industrial partners, could provide a working model for similar concepts such as Kozani’s NEUTRON. 

 

Partners’ input to the workshop helped both to the identification of Kozani’s DHS peculiarities and to the potential of the Green Heat Module, as NEUTRON’s aim is to make Kozani’s DHS boiler house independent of fossil fuels such as oil, as the first step to the decarbonization of Kozani’s DHS. 

 

The partners also discussed on the district heating financing, including project financing as well as private and public investment leveraging, under NZC’s experts on EU funding opportunities. 

 

The module could also be used to store waste-to-energy and sludge-to-energy (i.e., biogas) or waste heat from industrial processes, as well as feeding lower temperature heat into district heating networks, thus making this technology not only a model for the house space heating sector, but also a circular economy model for industrial settings. 

NEUTRON partners discussed on Thermal Energy Storage (TES) during the 2nd workshop in Jülich, May 8th, 2024. Kozani must find a way to wean itself off fossil fuels, including the natural gas. As the residential heating accounts for the highest share in energy consumption and GHG emissions, TES technologies such as the “Green Heat Module” could provide a solution for Kozani’s District Heating (DH). By providing high temperatures from thermal storage, it can be used for both residential and industrial setting achieving both the EU’s REPowerEU action plan goals and Kozani’s Climate City Contract goal for net-zero by 2030. Stuck in natural gas alternatives, Kozani’s DH will be fully exposed to the supply interruptions and price fluctuations during gas crises. Click the image below for more!

On Wednesday, December 13, the 1st Workshop of the NEUTRON project was held at the Koventareio Municipal Library of Kozani on the topic "Energy efficiency of Public Benefit Organizations and Kozani's path to Climate Neutrality".

 

The NEUTRON project, with the Kozani Municipality as lead partner, has been selected as a pilot project of the European Pilot Cities program within the EU 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission.

 

The project concerns the research on the substitution of the required energy of the peak boiler station of Kozani District Heating, by energy produced by RES in the context of the circular economy.

 

During the activities, the participants informed about the latest developments on the green District Heating systems. As at the core of the shift to the circular economy is the increase in resource efficiency, the selected guests highlighted the importance that the central goal of Kozani’s model is the production of services with fewer and more "green" resources.

 

The Workshop was open and addressed to all citizens while included presentations by selected guests, experts in the field of energy efficiency. The presentations covered issues surrounding the major issue of the sustainability of Kozani District Heating through new technologies as well as issues related to smart ways to save energy in the building sector.

 

After the presentations, there was an open round table discussion on energy efficiency, the participation of citizens in the actions to achieve climate neutrality, while at the same time student groups from the University of Western Macedonia were presented their ideas about climate neutrality and the digital transformation of Kozani. Click the image below for more!