Trends of Research and Development in District Heating Technologies: an Education-Based View
Methods. Systems thinking is a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way that a system's constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems. The systems thinking approach contrasts with traditional analysis, which studies systems by breaking them down into their separate elements. Systems thinking can be used in any area of research and has been applied to this study. The main drivers of the sector have changed over the last 60 years owing to the political framework and social requirements. They reflect the relation between security of supply and economical and environmental needs. Results. Moreover, many of the large central energy systems are aging. These systems have already exceeded their expected useful lives and are in a failed or failing condition. Their condition threatens mission performance and readiness through increased operation and maintenance costs, significant energy losses, and possible catastrophic failures. Secondly, fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are higher using conventional energy systems without district heating and combined heat-and-power (CHP). CHP plants often operate at very high levels of primary energy efficiency, utilizing up to 93 per cent of the energy in their fuel source to produce electricity and heat. Thirdly, the energy from intermittent/sporadic renewable sources is currently prioritised for input into the grid in many countries. Conslusions. Although the future conditions for district heating may look promising, the current education technology must also be enhanced in order to handle future competition. A plant which is originally a heating plant with boilers may be modernized by adding a CHP unit that consisted of, for instance, a gas-fired turbine that powers an electrical generator. We go on to explain that providers of competency-based training can cost-effectively combine modules of learning into pathways that are agile and adaptable to the changing labor market. They do so by breaking down ...