Towards 4th generation district heating: Prediction of building thermal load for optimal management

One of the requirements for the transition from conventional district heating (DH) systems to 4th generation DH (4GDH) systems is the knowledge of system dynamics. Forecast of thermal request profiles of buildings is crucial to optimize the operating conditions. In fact, when this is available, the thermal load evolution at the plants can be estimated and proper energy saving actions can be implemented. In this paper, a smart and fast approach...