A study trip to Germany in the framework of BSR Interreg project LowTEMP.

On January 18-19, 2019 a study trip of project partners of BSR project Interreg LowTEMP "Low Temperature District Heating for the Baltic Sea Region" to Germany was held. Over 25 participants from 19 partner organizations representing 9 countries of the Baltic Sea Region visited several sites where German solutions in the sphere of low-temperature district heating are being implemented.

A study trip started on January 17 on the premises of WISTA Management, an organization that oversees the development of Adlershof disctic in Berlin and Technology Park Berlin Adlershof. The head of WISTA Management activities in Adlershof Dr. Beate Mekiffer reported on the Technology park energy supply policies, plans for development and implemented solutions. Representatives of BTB Energy Company Berlin (a development company) presented their actions at LTDH residential project and energy research project
„P2X@Adlershof“. Participants of the study visit had a chance to see residential buildings on campus and the power to heat plant.

After the excursion the group went to Cottbus where they visited Project Energy saving school „Max-Steenbeck-Gymnasium Cottbus“, the building that was renovated with the use of energy-efficient technologies and is partly heated by low-temp heating. Another site visited was a heat exchange room at a dormitory of BTU Cottbus.

On January 18 the partners met Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Koziol, Vice President of BTU Cottbus and Arved Hartlich (Chief Technical Officer of residential cooperative eG Wohnen) who presented a project of independent heating network of the cooperative buildings and an experimental object (two 7-apartment houses equipped with solar panels).

Upon return to Berlin the group visited the facility of energy supplier company Vattenfall and were introduced to the technology of using solar energy along with heat produced by CHP to provide heat to customers.

Participants of the study trip noticed considerable difference between technologies used and solutions implemented in Sweden and in Germany as well as among legal framework of BSR countries concerning ownership of equipment and pricing of heating energy. Due to ongoing study trips the partners form a more comprehensive understanding of advantages and drawbacks of lowtemp disctict heating and practical aspacts of its implementation.

The next meeting of partners with take place in Lithuania in March 2019.