Port of Hirtshals is one of six European demo sites in the GREENSPIRE project – Green Strategies & Partnerships for Industrial Renewable Heat – which aims to overcome barriers to renewable heat solutions and reduce CO₂ emissions through innovative collaborations.

In Hirtshals, we are working to lay the foundation for a sustainable heat symbiosis, enabling the use of excess heat to benefit local businesses.

The project is part of a broader effort to ensure the recycling of resources from companies in Port of Hirtshals Harbor through circular solutions.

THE CHALLENGE
CO₂ reduction in heat production within European industry is crucial to achieving the EU’s CO₂ reduction targets for 2030 and 2050. While the transition to renewable energy in electricity generation is progressing positively, the use of surplus heat is not yet widespread.

The development is challenged by the fact that process industries with high heat demand are characterized by complex infrastructures, where surplus heat and heat demand are mutually interdependent. This complexity is further compounded by the need for industrial actors to manage their own production processes while simultaneously balancing the requirements for local heat generation, storage, and distribution.

the solution

GREENSPIRE tackles the barriers to implementing renewable heat solutions by introducing models for sustainable heat symbiosis. Through innovative, collaboration-based business models, the project demonstrates how companies can transition to renewable heat production by leveraging the benefits of symbiosis.

The project explores whether a combination of renewable heat technologies, including high-temperature heat pumps and thermal energy storage, can result in increased utilisation of industrial waste heat.

The project is organized around six pilot projects for sustainable heat symbiosis in Spain, Denmark, Belgium, and Greece.

Impact

The six pilot projects aim to demonstrate the potential of collaboration in sustainable heat symbiosis, creating a foundation for implementing and scaling similar solutions at other locations and promoting the use of renewable heat in industry.

GREENSPIRE is expected to help remove key barriers to energy collaboration and showcase the value of cooperative energy solutions.

In Hirtshals, the aim is to contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions from industrial heat production. Effective use of excess heat will lower companies’ carbon footprint and support a greener operating profile. This not only strengthens competitiveness but also helps create an attractive business environment, positioning Hirtshals as a leading hub for the green transition.

FURTHER information

Click here to go to the Greenspire website

Click here to to go to Greenspire’s LinkedIn profile