Status and perspectives of the district heating and cooling infrastructures in Italy

Space heating by district heating (DH) infrastructures serve more than 100 cities in Italy, since 2010. It has steadily increased on average by about 16 Mm3/a in the last 7 years, with respect to about 8 Mm3/a in the previous 14 years; at the end of 2012 it was about 280 Mm3. The main energy source used to feed the systems is natural gas, though the renewable energy sources (mainly heat recovery from Waste-to-Energy and biomasses) are significantly growing. The geothermal resources are still marginal, but positive news are coming from a few new projects in Grado (Gorizia), Ferrara and Tuscany. Though there is a large potential for district heating and cooling (DHC) in several northern Italy cities and towns, the main reason why it did not take off yet is mainly because of the high investment required to realize the distribution networks and because of the lack of appropriate regulatory schemes and energy policies. The new Italian National Energy Strategy has identified priorities, actions and specific measures to save primary energy, by energy efficiency and sustainable use of energy resources. DHC infrastructures have a significant role in this respect, but it will be crucial to identify and remove the regulatory and non–regulatory barriers.