The Kraków District Heating Company currently supplies heat to more than 65% of the city’s residents. The district heating network, with a total length of approximately 960 km, supplies heat to residential areas, shopping centres, congress and conference facilities, offices, schools, hospitals, churches and other buildings. Almost 70% of the network consists of modern pre-insulated pipes equipped with technology that enables the detection of potential uncontrolled water leaks.
The system includes around 6,000 heating chambers, 3 pumping stations and 45 group heat exchanger stations. Heat is delivered to end users through high- and low-parameter networks. The high-parameter network operates at design parameters, with a supply temperature of up to 135°C before heat is transferred at distribution substations. Following heat exchange, the low-parameter network operates at supply temperatures of up to 90°C.
A municipal analysis of the district heating system confirms that Kraków’s district heating infrastructure is in good condition and has undergone significant development in recent years. Nevertheless, fossil fuels remain the dominant source of energy. The system currently retains its status as an energy-efficient district heating system; however, maintaining this status in the long term will require further measures to increase the share of renewable energy sources and waste heat.
Sources analysed and key results
In Kraków, the pilot project does not focus on selecting a specific district or neighbourhood for a detailed decarbonisation analysis. Instead, the project aims to develop and demonstrate a solution that can potentially be replicated across the city. A hybrid heat distribution unit can be implemented at different locations where the required technical, organisational and economic conditions are met.
As part of the project, potential local heat sources were identified that could provide heat to heat pumps integrated into hybrid heat distribution units. This assessment helped identify potential locations within the Municipality of Kraków for the development of new pilot installations.
Particular attention was given to waste heat sources, including data centres. During the cooling of IT equipment, data centres generate significant amounts of low-temperature waste heat. This heat could potentially be recovered and used either to supply nearby buildings or, where technically and economically feasible, to support the district heating network.
The analysis also included an assessment of Kraków’s geothermal potential. The city’s diverse geological structure creates a range of technical possibilities for the development of geothermal systems. Depending on local conditions, vertical ground-source heat exchangers or horizontal collectors may be used. In addition, Kraków has a number of groundwater reservoirs that could provide relatively stable sources of heat and cooling.
Action plan for 2035
The main objective of the action plan for 2035 is to increase the number of hybrid heat distribution units across Kraków in the coming years. The pace and scale of deployment will depend primarily on the technical, organisational and economic feasibility of individual investments.
An important element of the planned activities is raising awareness among heat users, particularly housing associations and housing cooperatives, about the reliability, benefits and potential of these new solutions. Engagement with stakeholders will be essential for identifying suitable locations and creating the conditions necessary for successful implementation.
The overarching objective is to maintain the energy-efficient status of Kraków’s district heating system while progressively increasing the use of renewable energy sources and recovered waste heat.
Hybrid heat distribution units, in which heat pumps can combination with photovoltaic installations, offer an opportunity to reduce the system’s dependence on fossil fuels. When deployed at a larger scale, such solutions could contribute to a gradual transformation of the local heat supply mix and support the long-term decarbonisation of the district heating system.
Next steps and long-term perspective towards 2050
The next stage of the process will focus on identifying and assessing additional potential locations for hybrid heat distribution units. For each selected location, a detailed technical assessment and preparation of the necessary technical documentation will be carried out, together with an economic feasibility analysis.
These activities will provide the basis for further investment decisions and for the gradual roll-out of hybrid heat distribution solutions across Kraków. In the longer term, the experience gained through the pilot project is expected to support the wider transformation of the city’s district heating system towards a more diversified, renewable and low-carbon energy mix by 2050.