How can we stop wasting heat?

Buildings require three types of energy: electricity, heat for heating rooms, and heat for hot water. The fact that these three energy forms are currently generated separately means that a great deal of energy is lost. Moreover, large amounts of heat leak away due to poor insulation or because heat is simply a by-product − as is the case with power stations and factories. Wastage of heat can be solved by not allowing heat to escape, for example by installing proper insulation, and by harnessing the sunlight that falls on buildings. Residual heat that is released from power stations, factories or even domestic appliances can also be used for heating rooms and use can be made of heat that occurs naturally (e.g. beneath the ground).

How is TU Delft contributing?

Climate-responsive architecture and transformation of the existing housing stock

Individual buildings can be designed in such a way that they make optimal use of heat. Research is being conducted into building materials, building design and installations that generate electricity and heat with maximum efficiency. A Passiv Haus (a term derived from the German construction standard for residential buildings) heats itself, while an Aktiv Haus actually supplies heat and/or electricity to the public grid. A micro-CHP (micro combined heat and power) unit is a device that generates both electricity and heat and can replace the domestic central heating boiler. Read more about the research into ‘climate design‘.

A separate research programme is aimed at reducing the energy requirements of existing dwellings and neighbourhoods. TU Delft researchers are also seeking solutions to a range of organisational and social problems at the local level. Read more about the Sustainable Housing Transformations programme.

Combined heat and power

Demand for energy can be reduced by making intelligent linkages between energy supply and energy demand at the neighbourhood or district level. If electricity is generated on a neighbourhood basis, the residual heat that is released can be used to heat local buildings.

Geothermal energy

The temperature of water stored in aquifers at depths of between the 1500 and 3000 metres is approximately 55-110 degrees Celsius. A large volume of water lies at ideal depths beneath the campus at TU Delft. The Delft Geothermal Energy Project (Dutch acronym: DAP) is a collaborative study involving students and researchers who are working on a demonstration project that will use underground water sources to generate geothermal energy in the area surrounding TU Delft.

After the water used in the combined heat and power plant has cooled, it will be injected back into the earth. In order to make the plant CO₂-neutral, a second phase has been conceived in collaboration with several faculties, in which CO₂(carbon dioxide), SO_x (sulphur oxide) and NO_x (nitrogen oxide) will be removed from the flue gas and then injected with the cooled water. The energy derived from this project will be used to heat greenhouses and residential areas, to reduce fuel consumption in CHP plants and to store CO₂. Read more about the Delft Geothermal Energy Project.