Ennatuurlijk uses a Digital Twin to optimise their heating system
Ennatuurlijk is a district heating company in the Netherlands operating 62 networks that deliver over 5.300.000 GJ of heat to 85.000 households and 1.200 commercial customers annually.
The company aims to speed up the transformation to local and sustainable energy sources, with a strategy to reduce its carbon emissions by 70% in 2030 and become fully carbon-neutral by 2040. Two Ennatuurlijk district heating systems have been awarded as the most innovative and the most sustainable network of the Netherlands.
Challenge
When it comes to energy sources, Ennatuurlijk’s 4th generation heating network relies on a relatively complex setup with cascading systems within it.
For example, the district heating system in Hengelo maximises local waste heat opportunities to power its heat pumps.
The waste heat is sourced from Twence, a waste incineration company that processes regional wood and waste to generate steam. Part of this steam is converted into sustainable energy using a turbine, while another portion is directed to the district heating network in Enschede. The remainder is transported via a 2.3 km pipeline to Nobian, where it is used in salt production.
Throughout this process, the steam is reused multiple times, generating low-temperature waste heat. Heat pumps then upgrade this low-temperature heat to higher levels, powered by solar energy from Twence's solar parks.
To make its heating networks even more sustainable, Ennatuurlijk partnered with Gradyent to build a Digital Twin of their heating system.
Solution
The Digital Twin creates a detailed and realistic physical view that is updated constantly with smart sensor data, source data, and forecasts. The solution finds the optimum balance between flow and temperature and thereby ensures that minimal energy is wasted, customers get the required amount of heat, and the heat pumps operate optimally.
By developing a Digital Twin with Gradyent, we aim to gain more insights in the network. These insights help us with optimising the heat pumps and strategically placing a buffer. It also helps us to understand the influence of customer-side installations on the efficiency of our network. With this understanding we can utilise the available heat to a maximum, together with our customers.
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Results
Using the already available data, Ennatuurlijk found several optimisation opportunities through the Digital Twin and was able to check whether these fit into the limits of a given network. The company has an overview of system dynamics, including the chain of reactions from tweaking one element to see how a single change interacts within the whole system.
The implementation of Gradyent’s Digital Twin Platform has generated cost savings exceeding €100,000 per year. Thanks to running the heating system at lower temperatures, the efficiency of heat pumps has increased (COP from 4.0 to 4.5), saving 180 MWh of electricity. Lower temperatures also lead to lower heat losses in the grid – these have been reduced by 110 MWh (5% of total loss). Smart heat source control increased the average COP from 4.5 to 4.8, saving 88 MWh electricity (6% of total demand).
David Berghuis, Senior Asset Manager at Ennatuurlijk Hengelo: "The nice thing about working with Gradyent is that you work together. We found several ways for optimisations from the Digital Twin. We can then see if it fits within the limits of the network. I think that is working as a team."