BioenergyDistrict heating has existed in Sweden for more than 50 years. To begin with, the boilers were heated with oil. The heat from the boiler in its turn heats the water that is fed to the district heating network. During the oil crisis in the 1970s we had to start looking for alternatives. The energy extracted from renewable fuels is called bioenergy. In Sweden we have a long tradition and a great deal of technical know-how regarding extraction of energy from renewable fuels such as bark, grain pellets or woodchips. Many boilers can today also be fired using waste or energy forest products or reuse waste heat from industry.
Nowadays 28% of Sweden´s total energy supply comes from bioenergy. This means that we have come a long way as regards finding more environmentally friendly alternatives to oil; in fact we are the best in the world.
In Sweden we use bioenergy to heat parts of cities and towns and urban areas; this is called district heating. But bioenergy can also be used to heat individual dwellings or industries. When we use biofuel to heat a small unit, for example a city block or a school, we speak about local or small-scale district heating.
District cooling is cold water that is supplied to properties through a pipe network in the same simple fashion as district heating. In places where the natural prerequisites exist, natural cold water from the sea or lakes is used. The free cooling is then pumped out into the network with minimal environmental impact. Swedish energy suppliers have very efficient technical solutions for producing cooling and are now in demand around the world.
