On the prospect of achieving climate neutrality, the renewable energy use in Germany’s heating sector remains low. The THM University of Applied Sciences operates a wastewater heat recovery system since 2023 to support its goal for climate neutrality by 2030. In the year 2024 about 15% of the total required heat energy could be substituted by this system. Compared to the partially supplemented district heating, greenhouse gas emissions are roughly 90% lower with this system. However, the operating costs remain 20-60% higher and the prospect of payback periods approach over 80 years under certain circumstances. Beyond the environmental benefits, the system provides a subject for interdisciplinary student research. The paper showcases the ecological potential of wastewater heat utilization while highlighting economic challenges and the need for further life cycle assessment and scalability studies.
Völker et al. (Thu,) studied this question.