Hydrogen for Heat: A District Heating Case Study from Latvia

Decarbonization of district heating (DH) systems requires practical solutions that can reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions while utilizing existing infrastructure. Therefore, the study experimentally evaluates hydrogen–methane-based gas co-combustion in a real urban DH installation in Riga, Latvia, using a 6.3 MW hot-water boiler operating under commercial conditions without equipment modification. Experiments were conducted under steady-state operating conditions by blending hydrogen with the baseline methane-based gas at volumetric fractions of 0%, 10%, and 20%. Thermal performance and emissions (CO2, NOx, and CO) were monitored during 30 min measurement periods, and three independent experiments were performed for each hydrogen blending level. The experimental data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to evaluate the statistical significance of the observed changes. Stable ignition, flame anchoring, and load-following performance were maintained under all investigated conditions, and no flashback or blow-off events occurred. Boiler efficiency remained essentially constant at approximately 92% (92.1–91.9%), while thermal output was maintained at 6.3 MW. When CO2 emissions were normalized to useful thermal energy output (kg CO2/MWh), the specific CO2 emission intensity decreased from 202 kg/MWh for pure methane-based gas operation to 161 kg/MWh at 20 vol.% hydrogen addition, corresponding to an approximately 20% reduction in the carbon intensity of delivered heat under the investigated operating conditions. Carbon monoxide (CO) emissions remained low (~6–7 mg/kWh) and particulate matter concentrations remained below 1 mg/m3. Nitrogen oxide emissions increased moderately from approximately 40 mg/kWh to 52 mg/kWh due to enhanced combustion temperatures but remained within applicable regulatory limits. No degradation of safety systems, fuel metering equipment, or infrastructure and no leakage events were observed during the experiments. The results demonstrate that hydrogen blending up to 20 vol.% can achieve substantial reductions in the carbon intensity of heat generation while preserving boiler performance and operational safety, confirming hydrogen co-combustion as a practical transitional decarbonization pathway for existing DH systems. They also uncover the potential of hydrogen blending to support the sustainable decarbonization of DH systems by reducing GHG emissions while preserving existing infrastructure and operational reliability.