An informal Polish-Danish Expert Group met in Copenhagen to discuss how district heating systems in Poland can gain access to electricity markets — and what can be learned from Danish experience with flexibility, heat pumps, electric boilers, and heat storage.
First in-person workshop in Copenhagen
On 15–16 June, the informal Polish-Danish Expert Group held its first in-person workshop in Copenhagen.
The group brings together experts from transmission system operators, district heating utilities, technology companies, think tanks, and universities. Their shared focus is to accelerate the process of enabling Polish district heating systems to access electricity markets from spot markets to ancillary services.
District heating as part of the electricity system
In Denmark, large-scale heat pumps, electric boilers, and heat storage already play an important role in many district heating systems.
These technologies create value in two ways: they support cheaper heat production and help balance the electricity system. In Poland, a similar transition is emerging, but the regulatory and market framework is still developing.
The group’s work focuses on understanding what is needed to move this transition forward.
Building a common understanding
The two-day workshop focused on building a common understanding of both the Danish and Polish systems.
Terms such as “flexibility”, “balancing services”, and “ancillary markets” carry specific technical and regulatory meanings in each country. A key part of the first day was therefore dedicated to mapping the district heating and electricity market setups in Denmark and Poland.
The Danish journey from a thermally dominated energy system to a more flexible one served as a reference point — not as a blueprint — for what may be possible in Poland under different conditions and constraints.
Seeing market participation in practice
On the second day, the group visited Smørum Kraftvarme, a small district heating system outside Copenhagen that has been active in electricity markets for many years.
The visit gave participants practical insight into how participation in spot trading and balancing services works in daily operation.
Next steps for the expert group
The discussions throughout the workshop were engaged and solution-oriented.
The workshop ended with a discussion of the topics the group wants to explore further to support Polish district heating units in becoming active participants in electricity markets.
These topics will be addressed in a series of online workshops before the group meets again in Poland in October 2026.
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