In Höganäs, Sweden the municipal district energy company Höganäs Energi AB and metal powder and powder products manufacturer Höganäs AB have completed the latest investment in a long-term project to capture residual heat from Höganäs's production facility for use in district heating. Heat from Höganäs AB’s compressor plant now provides an additional 2.2 GWh per annum, which means that in total, 90 percent of the energy in the local district heating network comes from residual process heat.
Höganäs Energi AB and Höganäs AB together are at the forefront in Sweden in terms of converting residual heat from industry into environmentally friendly and climate-smart district heating for the residents of the municipality.
In 2005, the two businesses merged parts of their systems in order to heat properties using residual heat from Höganäs’ metal powder production. The two companies are constantly looking at new, intuitive ways of saving energy. In 2017, the two companies expanded the residual heating system to include residual heat from Höganäs AB’s compressor hall.
This latest phase of expansion means that additional residual heat from Höganäs AB, equivalent to the power requirement for 110 houses, can now be reused in the district heating network, said Anders Nilsson, Energy Engineer at Höganäs AB.
Through a string of expansive developments, the properties are now almost 90 per cent heated from residual heat. During the coldest of the winter months, heat is also added based on renewable bio-oil. This means that district heating production in Höganäs, to all intents and purposes, is completely free from fossil fuels.
This partnership allows us to reduce our environmental footprint by some 12 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and we are constantly looking to source more residual heat, said Björn Nilsson, District Heating Manager at Höganäs Energi AB.
The district heating network is being continuously expanded in order to offer district heating for newly built properties. The new investment in residual heat from Höganäs AB’s compressor plant provides 2.2 GWh per annum, which is equivalent to heating around 110 houses. Höganäs AB supplies a total of 44.2 GWh of heat to Höganäs Energi each year, which corresponds to 89.9 percent of the district heating needs of Höganäs Energi’s district heating network.
We compete on the same terms as other heating sources, but we see that many people are opting for district heating. By way of example, three new multi-family houses joined the network last year and more are under way. District heating offers many environmental benefits. Another advantage of district heating is that customers save up to 30 percent of their heating costs compared to previous fossil heating sources, said Björn Nilsson.
