4DH – Strategic Research Centre for 4th Generation District Heating Technologies and Systems

4DH is an international research centre supported by The Danish Council for Strategic Research. The research centre assists in the development of 4th Generation District Heating Technologies and Systems (4GDH). Such development is fundamental to the implementation of the Danish objective of being fossil fuel-free by 2050 as well as the European 2020 goals.
The district heating sector has a significant green growth potential and Denmark is one of the front runners with a district heating share of approx. 50 per cent and substantial exports of technology. On this background, the 4DH Centre generates knowledge of the design of future district heating network technologies including the development of components and concepts; planning and management tools based on Geographical Information System (GIS); and tools for decision-making support of the involvement of production units in electricity markets. Three headlines sum up this work: District heating grids and components; District heating production and system integration, and District heating planning and implementation.