A Review of Existing Hybrid District Heating Substations and Their Application Potential

Michał Żurawski (), Łukasz Mika and Jakub Kuś
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Michał Żurawski: AGH University of Krakow, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Łukasz Mika: AGH University of Krakow, Department of Thermal and Fluid Flow Machines, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Jakub Kuś: AGH University of Krakow, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-18

Abstract: Decentralized renewable energy sources will become fundamental to future energy systems. The energy transition toward decentralized energy sources creates opportunities and challenges for district heating companies. One of the proposed solutions for advancing decentralization is implementing hybrid district heating substations (HDHSs) into modern and future district heating networks. This paper reviews HDHS configurations and operational strategies for heating and cooling purposes described in the literature. Similar district heating systems have been compared, and their differences are discussed in this paper. This article explores the applicability of hybrid district heating substations from the perspective of district heating companies. This study demonstrates that the hybrid district heating substations could be successfully implemented into district heating systems under certain conditions. It is necessary to determine the role of the hybrid substations in the district heating system and properly select the auxiliary energy sources. This study highlights the importance of selecting an appropriate control strategy for hybrid district heating substations due to external factors, e.g., specific customer behavior or variability in the electricity market.

Keywords: district heating network; hybrid district heating substations; operational strategy; district heating systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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