District heating (also known as
heat networks or
teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location for residential and commercial heating requirements such as
space heating and
water heating. The heat is often obtained from a
cogeneration plant burning fossil fuels but increasingly also
biomass, although
heat-only boiler stations,
geothermal heating,
heat pumps and
central solar heating are also used, as well as
nuclear power. District heating plants can provide higher efficiencies and better pollution control than localised boilers. According to some research, district heating with combined heat and power (CHPDH) is the cheapest method of cutting carbon emissions, and has one of the lowest carbon footprints of all fossil generation plants. CHPDH is being developed in
Denmark as a store for
renewable energy, particularly wind energy, that exceeds instantaneous grid demand via the use of heat pumps and thermal stores.