Stuttgart residents will not receive centralized heating system installation from the city; residential property owners will be responsible for their respective heating arrangements.
We Got This: Residents in Stuttgart's Weilimdorf Neighborhood Are DIY'ing District Heating
Acting on their own initiative, residents of Stuttgart's Weilimdorf district aren't waiting for the city to convert their neighborhood into a district heating area. Judith A. Sägesser's journalism reveals that the city's plans call for homeowners to rely on heat pumps in the future, but local volunteer Roland Berger and others have different ideas.
Berger chuckles at the idea, shaking his head. He doesn't see the Pfaffenacker area, home to multi-family houses from the 70s, as the right fit for heat pumps.That's why he, along with other volunteers from the Energy Offensive in Weilimdorf, are pushing forward on a district heating project for the region.
In Stuttgart-Botnang, a new energy cooperative plans to establish its own district heating network. Meanwhile, the Weilimdorf association opts for a buy-in approach, convincing property and housing cooperative owners of the project's benefits and offering advisory support. The bigger cooperatives are "all ears."
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The regional energy supplier Süwag, based in Frankfurt am Main, serves as a key player in this district heating movement. According to Berger, plans call for a private company that residents can invest in.
Berger refers to the Weilimdorf area as a "dream spot for a district heating network." The high heat density within Pfaffenacker-Süd is most noteworthy, with approximately 90 multi-family dwellings lined along Mainzer, Landauer, Oppenheimer, and Niersteiner Streets and around 500 dwellings in total. The Wolfbusch School, with its energy-guzzling sports hall, could serve as the anchor customer. An expansion to the north is also on the table, says Berger.
The feasibility study results are still pending, with the central question being the heat source. Berger points to the motorway bridge, where waste is currently stored, as a potential location for utility buildings like an energy center, large heat pump, or combined heat and power plant.
Cooperative Energy in Botnang - A New DIY District Heating Network Propels Forward
If the plans for a Stuttgart-Botnang quarter come to fruition, residents there will soon have their own district heating network. However, a certain number of residents must be willing to participate.
The Energy Offensive Weilimdorf, an established organization for over a decade, is confident of one thing: relying solely on renewable energy for peak loads and during dark doldrums will likely prove inadequate. "A combined heat and power plant or something similar will be necessary," says Berger, based on findings from a 2020 study. After the feasibility study's results are released, the Energy Offensive plans to host community events to update residents on the project's status.City support will be essential, as the city will need to approve the site for the energy center.
- The residents in Stuttgart's Weilimdorf district, led by Roland Berger, are actively pursuing a district heating project for their area as an alternative to the city's planned heat pump reliance, aiming to create a self-sustaining home-and-garden ecosystem that supports their lifestyle.
- With around 90 multi-family dwellings and approximately 500 residential units in the Pfaffenacker-Süd area of Weilimdorf, the potential for a district heating network is high, with the feasibility study results pending for a suitable heat source, such as an energy center or combined heat and power plant.
