Danfoss is pleased to announce its participation in this year’s Euroheat and Power Congress, taking place in Torino, Italy from May 22-24. The congress theme, “District Energy: The Local Solution to Global Challenges”, will focus on how district heating and cooling (DHC) networks can enable local energy transitions and help cities decarbonize.
Timely theme highlights a key Danfoss focus area
For Danfoss, the congress theme harmonizes well with the company’s dedication to engineering end-to-end district energy solutions. “District energy has never been more relevant,” says Saška Rihtaršič, Vice President District Energy Danfoss. “It is key to ensuring the efficient use of local resources, such as excess heat from industrial processes and power generation; lowering CO2 emissions; and providing comfort and safe drinking water for people around the world. That’s why Danfoss is introducing HydronicS, a new division that will use the strength of our District Energy and Building Solutions business units to optimize hydronics in residential and commercial buildings. We believe this is a key step in building greener cities that create the highest degree of comfort, while ensuring the lowest possible energy consumption. We look forward to meeting with industry and policymakers from across Europe to see how this and other initiatives can accelerate the energy transition and decarbonize our cities.”
Drawing attention to the world’s largest untapped energy source
On May 23rd, Saska Rihtarsic, Vice President at Danfoss District Energy, will participate in the opening session, “A new era for District Heating and Cooling (DHC) solutions”. The session will examine how the on-going energy uncertainty has accelerated the need for clean heating technologies that can reduce the reliance on natural gas. Panelists will also address what the industry and policymakers can do to unlock the potential of DHC networks. As Danfoss’ representative on the panel, Saska Rihtarsic will focus on how excess heat – the world’s largest untapped energy source – can help pave a greener, safer route out of the energy crisis.
“Europe has set an ambitious target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and to become carbon neutral in 2050. The heat transition is a key pillar to achieve this goal, as heating and cooling represent half of the block’s total final energy consumption. That’s also why district heating and its gradual decarbonization play a particularly important role in the new Energy Efficiency Directive. Decision makers must act – from an environmental perspective and in the interests of increasing energy security and making us independent of gas imports. We see countries taking reactive emergency measures, such as firing up old coal-fired power stations and signing new nuclear and liquefied natural gas (LNG) leases,” she says. “Regrettably, decision makers often overlook that there is a readily available, greener, cheaper and safer alternative, namely, smarter use of the energy we already have. One way to do that is by using the vast amounts of energy that are currently wasted across sectors.”
Learning from municipalities already on the road to net zero
On May 24th, Head of Global Public Affairs and Communication at Danfoss Climate Solutions, Andrea Voigt, will moderate a Danfoss’ side event, “The power of local: smart solutions for smart cities”. The event will offer first-hand insights from European cities that have already started their journey towards a carbon-neutral future. Panelists will discuss practical solutions based on real-life examples, the power of artificial intelligence and digitalization. “It’s inspiring to see the progress that’s already been made in decarbonizing neighborhoods and cities across Europe,” Andrea Voigt says. “By presenting these real-world examples to Congress delegates, our goal is to further drive the energy transition by showcasing the technology and solutions that are already available and demonstrating how they can help the world get more out of less.”