For the green transition to succeed, consumer prices for district heating must remain low, regardless of the energy source. The district heating system in Hvide Sande features multiple energy sources, including a solar thermal plant, a heat pump, three 3 MW wind turbines and heat storage tanks. While this mix allows for cost-effective renewable district heating, managing daily operations and electricity procurement is challenging due to the fluctuating nature of renewable energy.

To approach this challenge the global software and consulting company EMD International has successfully installed and implemented an energyTRADE software solution at the district heating plant in Hvide Sande. This innovative intelligent control system continuously calculates the most optimal operational approach of the plant in real–time, and thus enables optimal decisions about which units to activate and whether to sell or purchase electricity across the different markets. Through a single interface, the plant manager is provided with a detailed overview of the optimal operational approach and production schedule for the upcoming days or week based on forecasts for the renewable energy generation, the anticipated charging and discharging cycles of heat storage tanks and whether the generated electricity should be converted into heat or sold to the grid.

The energyTRADE solution provides Hvide Sande District Heating with an overview of the most efficient operational schedule of the entire plant. This has meant that the residents of Hvide Sande have paid only one tenth of the annual average heating price in Denmark in 2022 and enabled Hvide Sande District Heating to produce 92.4 percent of the heat using renewable energy sources.