Resilience Metrics for District Heating Systems: A Comprehensive Framework
The project`s main output is the framework that aims to clarify which key performance indicators of the DH system should be used when assessing the resilience to climate-change-related, technological and financial disruptive events. The framework will be implemented in a web platform serving as an optimization tool for a comprehensive evaluation of resilience performances within the planning, design and operational phases of DH systems. The evaluation for DH system resilience will focus on energy-efficient and cost-effective heat generation under different climatic, economic and social conditions. The identification of different resilience criteria and the system resilience to maintain high heat generation performance in case of scenarios embedding different technological and potentially disruptive events will be analysed. Furthermore, innovative DH solutions will be evaluated within the research, such as the power-to-heat concept, network temperature lowering, and continuous heat and cold generation for particular case studies in order to identify benefits and barriers in terms of the system’s ability to maintain high performance under various conditions. The results will be a key output that can be used in policy planning, stimulating future research in the specific industrial sector at the local and international levels.
PROJECT FUNDED BY:
Latvia’s state budget Fundamental and Applied Research Project
Project No. lzp-2023/1-0039
PROJECT DURATION:
January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026
PROJECT BUDGET:
300 000,00 EUR
SCIENTIFIC LEADER OF THE PROJECT:
Ieva Pakere
PUBLISHED:
08.04.2024.
On June 11, 2025, student Anna Eisija Bernsone defended her master’s thesis “The impact of heat load changes and consumption management on the performance indicators of a centralized heating system”. Supervisors – Assoc. Prof. Edgars Vīgants and researcher Oskars Švedovs.
On May 14-16, 2025, senior researcher Vivita Priedniece participated in the 18th International Scientific Conference of Environmental and Climate Technologies, in Riga, Latvia, with the study Energy Security index for district heating resilience assessment .
In May 2025, a scientific article entitled District Heating Resilience under High Energy Price Shocks was published in the journal Energy. The authors of the article are Ieva Pakere, Lauma Balode, Guntars Krīgers, and Dagnija Blumberga.
On December 21, 2024, a scientific article entitled Integrating Low-temperature Waste Heat in District Heating Systems. Legal Framework and Pricing was published in the journal Environmental and Climate Technologies. The authors of the article are Marita Agate Zirne and Ieva Pakere.
On November 4, 2024, a scientific article entitled Towards a Unified Framework for District Heating Resilience was published in the journal Environmental and Climate Technologies. The authors of the article are Vivita Priedniece, Ieva Pakere, Guntars Krigers, and Dagnija Blumberga.
On September 10-11, 2024, Associate Professor and Senior Researcher Ieva Pakere participated in the international scientific conference 10th International Conference on Smart Energy Systems. 4th Generation District Heating, Electrification, Electrofuels and Energy Efficiency, in Aalborg, Denmark, with the study District heating resilience under high energy price shocks .
On June 5, 2024, student Sary Braish defended his bachelor’s thesis on the topic “Resilience of district heating to extreme events”. Supervisor – Assoc. Prof. Ieva Pakere.
On May 31, 2024, student Emīls Zariņš defended his master’s thesis on the topic “Transition of District Heating to Climate Neutrality”. Supervisors – Professor Gatis Bažbauers and researcher Madara Rieksta.
On May 15-17, 2024, Associate Professor and Senior Researcher Ieva Pakere participated in the 17th International Scientific Conference of Environmental and Climate Technologies in Riga, Latvia, with the research Towards unified framework for district heating resilience , and researcher Marita Agate Zirne presented the research on the topic Integrating Low-temperature Waste Heat in District Heating Systems. Legal Framework and Pricing .
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS
2025
- Pakere, I., Balode, L., Krīgers, G., Blumberga, D. District Heating Resilience under High Energy Price Shocks. Energy, 2025, Vol. 323, Article number 135855. ISSN 0360-5442. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.energy.2025.135855
2024
- Zirne, M., Pakere, I. Integrating Low-temperature Waste Heat in District Heating Systems. Legal Framework and Pricing. Environmental and Climate Technologies, 2024, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp.880-894. ISSN 1691-5208. e-ISSN 2255-8837. Available from: doi:10.2478/rtuect-2024-0067
- Priedniece, V., Pakere, I., Krīgers, G., Blumberga, D. Towards a Unified Framework for District Heating Resilience. Environmental and Climate Technologies, 2024, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp.566-579. ISSN 1691-5208. e-ISSN 2255-8837. Available from: doi:10.2478/rtuect-2024-0044
PARTICIPATION IN SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES
2025
- 18th International Scientific Conference of Environmental and Climate Technologies | May 14 -16 | Riga, Latvia | Vivita Priedniece | Energy Security index for district heating resilience assessment
2024
- 10th International Conference on Smart Energy Systems. 4th Generation District Heating, Electrification, Electrofuels and Energy Efficiency | September 10 – 11 | Aalborg, Denmark | Ieva Pakere | District heating resilience under high energy price shocks
- 17th International Scientific Conference of Environmental and Climate Technologies | May 15 – 17 | Riga, Latvia | Ieva Pakere | Towards unified framework for district heating resilience
- 17th International Scientific Conference of Environmental and Climate Technologies | May 15 – 17 | Riga, Latvia | Marita Agate Zirne | Integrating Low-temperature Waste Heat in District Heating Systems. Legal Framework and Pricing
