POLISH-DANISH EXPERT GROUP – BRINGING DH TO ELECTRICITY MARKETS

The group continues their search for deeper understanding and better ways forward. The experts from transmission system operators, district heating companies, technology companies, think tanks, and universities met in Poland discussion solutions for activating DH assests for the mutual benefit of district heating and electricity systems.

Activating DH companies in electricity markets is necessary but not easy. We shared news, discussed current challenges, deepened our understanding of the electricity markets, shared the complexity of changes in front of DH companies, compared Polish and Danish approaches, discussed incentive structures, dreamt of new types of analyses and tools, challenged the status quo, and somehow still managed to leave with more determination and hope.

Start with the day-ahead market – and build from there

The aim is to accelerate the process of enabling Polish district heating systems to access electricity markets from spot markets to ancillary services. For this to work, the TSO needs to provide information and market design, and the DH companies need to adapt their operations and investigate the risks and potential for the company. An important step is to make this work in the day-ahead market, and the group discussioned the practical steps involved on both sides. How they can help each other, and how other stakeholders can support this iterative process towards high participation in the day-ahead market.

Collaboration with PSE and NCAE strengthened

The workshop toke place in the offices of the Polish TSO, PSE, and additional experts from PSE and the National Centre for Energy Analyses, NCAE, participated in the workshop to deepen the discussions of the electricity markets and analyses to support the transition in Poland.

Informal and open discussions

The work in the expert group is characterised by high levels of expertise and energy, which makes the discussions dynamic and novel. We thank the participants for trusting and engaging in the DBDH workshop style, with informal, open discussion.

Next steps

Many ideas and insights came out of the workshop, and the next step is to bring this into the work at home and continue the collaboration. This includes more workshops online in the coming months.