Salaspils’ speedy heat detox

Salaspils, Latvia

By the Daugava river, in Latvia, Salaspils is located in one of the coldest regions of Europe, so heat is an important factor to consider when it comes to decarbonisation. Already far in their heat detox, the town has managed to already decrease its heat-related emissions by 88%.

heating and cooling

Mitigation

Salaspils is a small town near Riga, in Latvia, located on the northern shore of the Daugava river. Recognising the importance of decarbonising its heating system, a central sector in a cold region such as the Baltics, Salaspils has been working towards its full heat detox since 2017. And the effort is paying off: in the last six years, the town managed to reduce its heat-related CO2 emissions by 88%!

District Heating: the crucial tool

The municipality-owned district heating network has been fundamental in the town’s heat detox. Starting with 20,6 km in 2018, the network has since been expanded in 1.4 kilometres, and should soon extend over 25 kilometres, reaching even more households. More impressive even has been the shift in in the heat sources feeding the district heating network: from biomass and natural gas, to a healthier detox mix, including solar thermal energy and (soon) heat pumps with waste heat from data centres.

A solar-infused detox

According to Ina Berzina-Veita, the Managing Director of Salaspils Siltums (the DHC company), Salaspils first started considering solar thermal energy after attending a conference on solar district heating in Bilund, Denmark, in 2016. As they had a clear goal – “reduce our carbon footprint and diminish reliance on fossil fuels” – the journey ahead was evident.

Following a comprehensive feasibility study in January 2017, the utility successfully secured EU funding in February of the same year, and in 2019 the solar thermal plant was already being used to detox Salaspils’ heat. Nowadays, the plant produces 20% of the heat in the district heating network.

An ongoing process towards decarbonisation

All of Salaspils’ efforts have been met with inspiring results. Since 2018, the town managed to reduce its heat-related emissions by 88%, going from 56% of renewable energies to 94% in just six years. But the detox is not yet finished – thanks to the DHC company’s policy of reinvestment (50% of profit goes into developing the district heating systems) – there are new plans on the way for an even fuller detox. The city will soon be using heat pumps to integrate waste heat from data centres into the district heating network.