Warming up Romanian university with resources that would be wasted

Students at the Politehnica University of Bucharest (UPB) are becoming more open to the idea of renewable energy to keep warm this winter. The EU-funded WEDISTRICT project is helping cut costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is in line with its overall objective to demonstrate an integrated district heat and cooling network that combines renewable energy sources, thermal storage and waste heat recovery at low temperatures.

Currently, district energy is a solution for delivering heating, hot water and cooling services through a network of insulated pipes. However, it requires a large amount of energy when sourced from fossil fuels.“WEDistrict was born from our desire to show that fossil fuels can be replaced by optimally integrating different renewable energy sources in both existing district heating systems and new ones,” project partner UPB’s Vice-Dean Constantin Ionescu comments in a news item posted on ‘EuroScientist’.

Heating and cooling consumes half of all our energy, and the majority of heating and cooling is generated from fossil fuels. The good news is that a growing number of cities in Europe and around the world are adopting modern district energy solutions.

WEDISTRICT aims to demonstrate 100 % fossil-free heating and cooling solutions by integrating multiple sources of renewable energy. The project’s target is the research and development of a technological solution to generate thermal and electrical energy using renewable sources.

Specifically, WEDISTRICT installs photovoltaic panels on the roof. This is the first step. The second step is to capture and convert the sun’s energy into electricity. Next is the use of this electricity to power the geothermal heat pump in order to heat the building. Then, a network of water-filled underground pipes absorbs the earth’s heat and transfers it to the building using a pump.According to the news item, using a geothermal system together with photovoltaic panels allows researchers to heat the building by only relying on renewable energy. “For instance, we’ve used three types of solar panels, three types of inverters,” explains Mihai Vasile Sănduleac, associate professor of power engineering at UPB. “We wanted to build a solution that can be integrated, that simulates real-world conditions.”

Taking the latest demonstration as an example, Romania is a country where buildings account for an estimated 30 % of total energy consumption. Most public buildings, houses and blocks of flats were built during the Communist era. Relatively few have been upgraded since then.

According to a report by independent energy think tank EPG, one in seven families in the country faces severe housing problems, such as poor quality walls, floors and window frames.

With the help of WEDISTRICT (Smart and local reneWable Energy DISTRICT heating and cooling solutions for sustainable living), UPB researchers are inspiring others to turn to green energy. UPB expects to reduce its CO2 emissions by an estimated 32 metric tonnes per year.

For more information, please see:

WEDISTRICT project website