District heating is included in the Danish energy policy as a key factor with a view to establishing a heating sector that is completely non-reliant on fossil fuels. District heating can be generated on the basis of any kind of primary source of energy, and it is simple to switch from one source to another.
In Marstal, a town on the Danish island of Ærø, the local district heating company is owned by the citizens themselves. Several years ago, they chose to take up the challenge of reducing dependency on fossil fuels and therefore began to focus on solar energy. Today, district heating in Marstal is based exclusively on renewable energy. The owners run the second-largest solar panel installation in the world, which generates 30% of the heat they require; the remaining 70% stems from biofuel.
The existing solar panel installation covers an area of 18,000 m2, while work is under way to add a further 15,000 m2 and to construct a new 75,000 m3 lake heating storage facility. This project is named SUNSTORE 4. In Marstal, 1,550 users are connected to the district heating network, and on completion of SUNSTORE 4 in 2014, fully 55% of the energy required will stem from solar heating, with biomass accounting for the remaining 45%. The project has seen development of a steering technology that regulates the pumps according to the inflow of light. This technology has led to a 75% saving on energy for pump operation – over and above the improved efficiency for the solar panels – and it is used today in most major solar panel installations.
LOGSTOR delivers preinsulated pipes to Marstal.
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