Intelligent Living
Summary
Within the streets of global metropolises, the climate transition has shifted from a distant policy goal into a tangible, local reality. It is unfolding at the scale of neighborhoods, buildings, and even individual heating systems. Utility providers globally now purchase flexibility from residential and commercial properties to reinforce and stabilize aging local power grids. Neighborhood microgrids are enabling residents to trade rooftop solar with each other. Large cities such as Tokyo and New York are placing firm carbon caps on buildings and attaching real financial consequences to emissions.
Nordic experience shows how electrified district heating systems can function as flexible assets. Large heat pumps and electric boilers can shift operation to periods of lower electricity prices or higher renewable output, maximizing the use of electrified district heating assets to shift operation during periods of lower electricity prices.
Integrating long-duration sand battery storage into district heating networks allows cities to store surplus heat for use during periods of high demand. The Sthlmflex pilot in Stockholm integrates these resources into local flexibility markets, allowing district energy systems to respond dynamically to grid constraints.
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