Salaspils Siltums

Salaspils, Latvia
Salaspils Siltums

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Salaspils, the 12th largest city in Latvia with over 18,000 residents, lies just 18 km from Riga, the capital. Known for its Botanic Garden, Salaspils is also home to a modern solar district heating system. The municipal company “Salaspils Siltums” was founded in 1996 to secure local heat supply. Since then, it has evolved from fossil-based heating to 95% renewable energy, now covering 100% of the city’s annual 60 GWh heat demand. The transition began in 2010 with pipeline upgrades and digital metering, cutting heat losses from 16.6% to 13.4% by 2014. In 2012, a 7 MW wood chip boiler was installed, followed by a flue gas condenser in 2015. A breakthrough came in 2019 with the launch of one of the largest solar thermal fields in Northern Europe—21,595 m² in size—paired with an 8,000 m³ heat storage tank and a new 3 MW high-efficiency biomass boiler. This solar system now supplies 15% of Salaspils’ annual heat demand emission-free. The system’s resilience and sustainability have drawn strong community support—11 new apartment buildings joined the network, preferring it over less efficient gas boilers. Salaspils Siltums is a model of modern, secure, and climate-neutral urban heating. Its success shows how medium-sized cities can drive Europe’s green energy transition.

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Salaspils Siltums

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