Architecture, engineering and consultancy company Ramboll has launched an AI-optimised heat network design platform, District One, to respond to what it says is set to be ‘transformational’ developments in UK heat networks.
The company highlighted the government’s targets to increase district heat networks from 3% today to 20% by 2050 and the National Heat Network Zoning Policy, saying that would mean the number and extent of heat networks would increase substantially.
It says District One will support landowners, energy companies, developers, and national and local government authorities explore potential heat network routes, using a spatial machine learning algorithm that generates intelligent designs. It says District One is designed to use local data to assist in installing citywide heating and cooling network routes and identifying the best-suited areas for the installation of heating networks.
The platform has been used to create a combined multi-nodal district energy network consisting of 12 independently operating but connected systems. Ramboll claims the case study showed that District One can increase the accuracy of a business case when deployed onto a citywide zonal programme by enabling existing infrastructure plans to be more quickly incorporated into modelling. It says avoiding ‘rules of thumb’, allows for more accurate design and cost estimation of district heating network assets than would be typically expected for master planning projects on this scale.
Commenting on the launch of the District One platform, Guy Milligan, Head of Department – District Energy at Ramboll said: “Heating and cooling networks will have a vital role to play in decarbonising the ways we heat our homes and communities, as well as providing a more affordable alternative to, for instance, individual gas boilers.
“We expect to see a significant expansion of heat networks over the coming years, and are pleased to be able to support this through our development of the District One platform, which provides city-scale mapping, allows for more collaborative discussions between stakeholders and more informed decisions early on in the network planning process.”