| Cogeneration for efficient and smart buildings | Cogeneration technology for hydrogen | Stationary fuel cells for green buildings | Cogeneration and heat pumps: win-win |
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Conclusions
| 1. Buildings are key to deliver EU’s Green Deal. They represent 40% of EU’s energy consumption and are responsible for 36% of GHG emissions. More than 70% of building are energy inefficient and 80% of the existing buildings stock will still be standing by 2050.
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| 2. The seasonality and high levels of heating and hot water demand in buildings make it a challenging sector to decarbonise. Even when we electrify efficiently (i.e. with heat pumps in buildings with 50% less demand) overall power demand is expected to increase by around 50% and power peaks could be three times as high compared to today. Covering this additional demand with additional renewable electricity may prove difficult at times of no wind or sun.
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| 3. Decarbonising buildings requires an ambitious Renovation Wave that will focus on a mix of efficient, flexible and renewable energy solutions. Silver bullet solutions are not sufficient to deliver on the buildings trilemma: highly sustainable buildings, customer affordability and comfort & energy security.
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| 4. Cogeneration applications can deliver key benefits as part of a mix of building solutions such as cogeneration and district heating, stationary fuel cells in cogeneration mode and cogeneration units and heatpumps complementing each other. |
| 5. To ensure the Renovation Wave delivers for consumers and the EU economy, key principles must be considered: 1) improve efficiency of buildings both by reducing demand and supplying energy more efficiently; 2) develop robust criteria to ensure that end use electrification is efficient and renewable; 3) consider buildings as part of an integrated systems approach, by fostering synergies between end use electrification & cogeneration at site or district level; 4) allow for renewable and decarbonised gases uptake in buildings, including their efficient use with cogeneration. |