Danfoss to capture waste heat from Warsaw Metro for district heating

A public-private partnership was launched in Warsaw for using waste heat from the subway system to heat homes and buildings. The alliance including Danfoss, GEA DK, Bjerg Akitektur, Elogic, and Rambøll Group aims to make Poland’s capital and other cities more sustainable.

Industrial equipment manufacturer Danfoss signed a memorandum of understanding with the Capital City of Warsaw, Royal Danish Embassy in Poland, Metro Warszawskie and Rambøll Group to make the Polish capital more sustainable. The first step in the partnership, consisting of public and private entities, will focus on exploring the possibility of reusing excess heat from the Warsaw Metro system to heat private homes and buildings and water.

A feasibility study will be carried out with funds from the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark’s Green Accelerator Program, the company said. Danfoss, based in Nordborg, Denmark, provides energy efficiency solutions.

Vast potential in wastewater treatment plants, industrial production, data centers

Warsaw is a member of the European Commission’s Cities Mission, a project aiming to achieve 100 climate-neutral and smart cities in the European Union by 2030. The signing ceremony was held at the Naradowy station. The MoU includes GEA DK, Bjerg Akitektur and Elogic.

“Rather than simply letting heat dissipate into thin air, we are taking active steps to capture and reuse it and paving the way for fully decarbonized heating in cities like Warsaw. And it isn’t only in the Warsaw Metro system; there is vast potential in reusing heat from wastewater facilities, industrial clusters, and data centers in major cities all over Europe,” said Danfoss’s President for the East European Region Adam Jędrzejczak.

Local officials pointed out the project would contribute to improving air quality, in line with the Green Vision of Warsaw. The potential for surplus heat recovery is estimated at 3.8 TWh per year. It translates to the needs of 275,000 residents of Poland’s capital, they added.

Danfoss: Excess heat is world’s largest untapped energy source

Danfoss said a combined 62 GWh of heat is wasted every year from metro stations in Warsaw.

Excess heat is the world’s largest untapped source of energy, according to Danfoss. Every time an engine runs, heat is generated and there are currently very few initiatives that reuse it. For instance, supermarkets and hydrogen electrolysis produce significant amounts of excess heat that can be captured.

In the EU and United Kingdom alone, there is 2.86 PWh per year of waste heat accessible, almost corresponding to the EU’s total energy demand for heat and hot water in residential and service sector buildings, the company stressed.