Energy Transport Infrastructure for a Decarbonized Economy - Chapter 9 : District heating and cooling

District heating systems transport thermal energy in the form of heated or chilled fluids from a centralized source or plant to support the heating and cooling needs for multiple users or buildings, typically distributed through insulated pipes. Using a centralized heat pump or heat source provides advantages such as removing duplicate equipment (at each building), leveraging economies of scale, improving efficiencies, reducing overall energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and potentially reducing the utility cost for users. The central heat distribution plants rely on many sources, including combustible fuels, geothermal, wastewater, solar or wind energy, and heat pumps to boost temperatures.