Technological University Dublin

Decarbonising-by-District: How TU Dublin are pioneering two district heating projects

Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) commits to take urgent climate action to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations. Two decarbonisation case studies using district heating across two of our campuses are detailed here. The Tallaght campus is now heated by a District Heating network which uses waste heat generated from a nearby data centre, supplemented by water-source heat pumps. On the Grangegorman campus, the potential for deep-bore geothermal heating is being explored and is now in its second phase.

An initial trial borehole showed promising results, and the partners are actively exploring opportunities to develop a full production Deep Bore Geothermal well that would largely decarbonise heat on campus. Both projects are pioneering in national efforts to decarbonise.

Through these initiatives, TU Dublin aims to provide a minimum of 70% renewable space heating on site by 2030 and will engage in opportunities to extend these benefits to local communities.

Top 3 Learnings

1. There is great value in collaborating with community and societal partners.
2. Don’t be afraid to be the first to try something pioneering for your institution.
3. Avail of multiple sources of expertise from within your institution, as well as nationally and globally.