AEE INTEC is a non-university research institute with three target group areas “Buildings”, “Cities & Networks” and “Industrial Systems” as well as three technological working groups “Renewable Energies”, “Thermal Storages” and “Water and Process Technologies” closely cooperating. The working areas cover a wide range of R&D projects, from basic research projects to the implementation of demonstration plants. AEE INTEC has broad experience in developing and demonstrating energy supply concepts and networks and modelling, optimising and developing district heating networks and hybrid energy systems. Especially the integration of energy supply units in district heating networks can be considered as expertise.
AEE INTEC is actively involved in the International Energy Agency (IEA) within the TCPs EBC (Energy in Building and Communities), SHC (Solar Heating and Cooling) and DHC (District Heating and Cooling). In addition, AEE INTEC is part of the international QM Holzheizwerke® (QM for Biomass DH Plants) working group and is leading “klimaaktiv Heizwerke und Wärmenetze” (QM Heizwerke) – the Austrian implementation of this quality management system for biomass district heating systems by order of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology. In this context, AEE INTEC regularly organises training for plant operators, planners, authorities and quality managers, continuously enhances the quality management system, accompanies renewable district heating projects and evaluates the impacts of DH systems and the quality management system in Austria.
Furthermore, within the working group Cities & Networks, extensive R&D work is ongoing regarding the integration of complementary renewable energy sources (low-grade renewable energy and waste heat, heat pump applications) into biomass DH systems (including retro-fitting), concepts for future district heating networks and energy system decarbonisation in general. AEE INTEC will substantially contribute to the work with extensive relevant experience from numerous national and international projects on DHC (e.g. ENTRAIN (EU Interreg CE project), ThermaFLEX and BM_Retrofit (Austrian flagship projects), RES-DHC (H2020 project)) as well as the successful application and further development of the QM for Biomass DH Plants system.
AEE INTEC acts as a horizontal knowledge provider for the preparation of feasibility studies and transformation (investment) plans for DH systems. Further focus will be on know-how transfer in the field of RES DHC, new generation DH systems and transformation of heating networks towards 100% RES (decarbonisation). Synergies with the successful application and further development of the QM for Biomass DH Plants system in Austria, as well as numerous ongoing initiatives to foster sustainable DH systems are exploited.