WP 4 - Demonstration Lighthouse City Leipzig

The report provides an overview oft he potential industrial waste heat sources in the Leipzig area as well as their utilisation. It focusses on the waste heat from data centres and the utilisation of waste heat by the Leipziger Stadtwerke.

Energy transition in the Federal Republic of Germany is making high demands of a large number of companies in order to be able to achieve future climate goals. This is leading to a change in thinking in the field heat supply, too. In the process, the area of electricity production represents just a cornerstone of energy transition. The required reduction of harmful emissions cannot be achieved without heat transition. Thus, it quickly becomes clear that efficient use of thermal energy plays a central role.

Due to the announcement of climate emergency declared in 2019 and the aspirations in Leipzig, local authority heat planning is required. It has the goal of complete climate-neutrality in heat supply by the year 2038, meaning even existing infrastructures will have to be reconceived.

With the clear goal of the decarbonisation of Leipzig’s district heating, various potential sources for the use of renewable energies and the inevitable waste heat, and their integration into the grid-bound heating systems, are under investigation. The usage of a district heating network, a climate-neutral heat supply could be achieved for large sections of housing stock and many businesses with just a few major measures.