CoSpatial Heat
Spatial heat planning for a climate-resilient region
How can the heat supply for municipalities, businesses, and households be redesigned to be efficient, renewable, and regionally based? The R&D project CoSpatial Heat is developing sound decision-making criteria for strategic heat planning in the Gleisdorf region.
The project analyzes existing heating and gas infrastructures as well as future renewable supply options – from district heating, heat pumps and solar thermal energy to biomass, power-to-heat solutions and waste heat recovery. Using GIS-based, spatially differentiated analyses, heat and infrastructure plans are created that show which technologies and supply concepts can be used effectively where.
A key focus is on the decarbonization of natural gas-based heat supply: CoSpatial Heat identifies potential for expanding renewable heating networks, repurposing or decommissioning existing gas infrastructure, and suitable decentralized and neighborhood-based solutions. In addition, technical alternatives are evaluated, business models are developed, and concrete use cases for municipalities, companies, and households are elaborated.
Early involvement of regional stakeholders leads to the development of practical, implementable transformation pathways. The goal is to create concrete foundations for a climate-neutral heat supply by 2030 and beyond – and to prepare the transition from planning to implementation in a demonstration neighborhood.
Project partner: EnergieZukunft WEIZplus (consortium lead), Energie Steiermark AG / Next-Incubator, AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC), Municipality of Gleisdorf
This project is funded by the Climate and Energy Fund (Klien) and the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMIMI). The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) handles the funding process. (Insert logos)
What you should know
The innovation
Here are 3 key innovation points that clearly and understandably summarize the core of the project:
- Scalable heat intelligence:
GIS-based decision logic as a replicable platform for strategic heat planning across regions. - New business models instead of fossil fuel lock-ins:
Transformation of existing heat and gas infrastructures into marketable, neighborhood-based and renewable solutions. - From analysis to impact:
Direct bridge from data-based planning to implementation – including use cases, stakeholder commitment and demo district.
Advantages
of innovation
We shape the future
Support from Next-Incubator
Energie Steiermark AG contributes its role as a system operator and market player, ensuring that the developed heat and infrastructure concepts are economically viable, regulatory feasible, and relevant for investment. The focus is on deriving concrete business models and implementable use cases for the transformation of the heat and gas infrastructure.
The Next Incubator ensures that project results have an impact beyond individual cases: through scalability, replicability, and integration into the innovation ecosystem. It supports the transfer of planning into pilot and follow-up projects with clear market and impact potential. CoSpatial Heat thus evolves from an analysis into a strategic innovation and implementation component for the energy transition – with effects extending beyond the region.
