Düsseldorf, July 2025 |
While Düsseldorf reached a scorching 37°C outside, the INTREPIDH partners gathered indoors to launch the first curiosity workshop of the INTREPIDH program for equally “hot” discussions on how district heating can play a central role in supplying industrial process heat.
From steel to beer — E.ON presents their case
On the first day, we were lucky to receive a presentation by E.ON on their pioneering work with thyssenkrupp. The waste heat from their steel production is captured and transferred via a new steam transfer station to power the brewing process at König Pilsener. E.ON provides both the technical infrastructure and energy management, demonstrating how industrial surplus heat can be transformed into valuable process heat for another industry sector.
This case set the stage for our group sessions where participants explored how district heating partners, industry, and municipalities can create synergies when working together.
Mapping the win-win-win-situations
The project partners and the additional experts from Energy4ClimateNRW worked in breakout sessions on identifying the synergies between the three main actors in a process heat project: District Heating partner, industry partner, and the municipality. Synergies emerged across all three actor groups, in short:
- District heating & industry: circular energy systems, improved public image, knowledge transfer, and stronger local energy security.
- Municipalities & industry: joint branding, easier access to national funding, smoother urban planning, and local employment.
- Municipalities & DH utilities: long-term planning, expanding the grid, improved local resilience, and community commitment.
By the end of the day, participants had produced multiple ideas on how to move projects from “curiosity” to reality— showing that with the right cooperation, barriers can be overcome.
Day two — looking ahead with Energy4Climate NRW
On the second day, the group moved to the brand-new offices of NRW.Energy4Climate. Next to looking into the future of smart infrastructure of their offices, the project group also shifted towards planning the future: brainstorming the INTREPIDH webinar series. The sessions will highlight concrete cases, share lessons learned, and help spread awareness of how district heating can supply industrial process heat across Europe.
The Düsseldorf workshop confirmed both the urgency and the potential of integrating district heating into industrial energy systems. The heat outside may have been intense, but the workshop proved that collaboration between industry, utilities, and municipalities can generate the real “hot ideas” needed for Europe’s green transition 😉