Heating accounts for 60% of the European Union’s building sector energy consumption and 80% of its emissions. With increasing population density and more compact urban forms, the demand for district heating and cooling is on the rise. However, 80% of district heating still relies on fossil fuels, necessitating a fundamental transformation towards the use of renewable energy sources.

In addition to the rapid development of AI technologies that increases the demand for efficient data center cooling, there is a growing need for sustainable heating solutions. District heating systems in Nordic countries employ low-temperature operating principles to reduce transmission losses and utilize renewable energy sources. However, the implementation of these principles in other parts of the world faces various limitations, such as high investment and operating costs, insufficient building insulation, separation of heating and cooling functions, reduced transmission capacity and grid dispatchability, and sacrificing comfort and resilience redundancy in heating networks. If these issues remain unresolved, adopting low-temperature operation for next-generation system designs will entail high operational risks, particularly in extreme weather and energy-scarce situations.

To address these challenges, specifically for boilers, combined heat and power (CHP), and solar thermal systems, Boulton adsorption technology has been developed for use in centralized heating systems, aiming to solve the problems of limited capacity for connecting new users and the difficulty of recovering waste heat from circulating cooling water.

By installing Boulton adsorption heat exchangers in district heating substations, the return water temperature can be reduced by 30°C without compromising the quality of heat delivered to customers. This deployment can increase delivery capacity by 40-70% without upgrading pipeline infrastructure, reduce fuel consumption by up to 30%, and meet cooling demands in summer using the same pipelines while protecting existing buildings and communities. Boulton adsorption heat exchangers are suitable for various types of district heating, including coal and nuclear CHP, gas and biomass boilers, and solar thermal plants.

The integration of adsorption technology in district heating systems provides an opportunity to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability. As a result, both data centers and district heating systems can contribute to a greener future by utilizing waste heat more effectively, reducing energy consumption, and ultimately decreasing reliance on fossil fuels.