District Heating (and Cooling) for the 21st Century (DH). DH means the use of a central heating plant that provides a source of space heat, and maybe domestic hot water, for a complex of buildings, usually located in the downtown section of a mid-to large-size city. For as long as 100 years or so, there have been many DH systems in western Europe, and some in the U.S. All, in the beginning, were powered by either fossil fuels, usually coal, or by geothermal heat found close to the surface. Many are still in existence, some still in active use, and many have been recently getting a second look as assets that could be brought nicely up to date with the use of renewable energy, ground-source heat pumps, or with reduced carbon fuels. “How Century-old ‘District Energy’ Networks Can Help Decarbonize Cities”. www.canarymedia.com 6/7/22. “Decarbonizing Boston & Cambridge with eSteam”. www.vicinityenergy.us Vicinity Energy aims to convert Boston’s steam network to run on clean energy. “Something Old, Something New – District Heating in the 21st Century”. www.atlasbuildingshub.com 5/16/22.
