Towards Climate Management of District Heating Enterprises’ Innovative Resources

Abstract

Tracking the trend of restricted access to natural fossil energy resources determines the need to search for alternative energy sources, introducing energy-efficient technologies, and optimizing the energy supply system based on intelligent networks. Understanding district heating enterprises’ readiness to work with innovative renewable resources based on climate neutrality plays a unique role. Thus, this article is devoted to the study of the features of providing and determining the district heating enterprises’ capacity to integrate climate management of innovative resources to produce green thermal energy. The research methodology is based on a combination of systemic, process and cybernetic approaches to determining the resource sustainability of district heating enterprises for implementing climate innovations. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive assessment of the ability of district heating enterprises to use renewable resources (biomass, waste, hydropower, solar energy, wind energy) for the production of thermal energy according to such indicators as: an indicator of balanced resource use, an indicator of climate neutrality and an indicator of economic feasibility. The results became the basis to apply the set-theoretical approach to calculate the district heating enterprises’ coefficient of resource sustainability, based on the climate management of innovative resources to produce green thermal energy. The innovation of the fuzzy sets method lies in achieving the set goal without the deep formation of a data dynamics series, particularly interval models. The added scientific value of the method to determine the resource sustainability of district heating enterprises is used to justify the feasibility of integrating climate management with the use of innovative resources through the diversification of renewable energy sources for thermal energy production. The prospects for such results are the basis for future research to develop intersectoral clustering enterprises in the green energy production chain based on a closed cycle of renewable energy resources.

1. Introduction

The European Union constantly reinforces the targets for reducing carbon emissions. In order to ensure the implementation of the goals of the European Green Deal regarding the energy system decarbonization of the European Union, as well as the obligations of the European Union to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement, in 2019, the European Commission adapted the Clean Energy for all Europeans Package [1], which was first published in 2015. To achieve the pan-European goal of a transition to climate neutrality in the countries of the European Union, the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) [2] have been in force. These were introduced by the Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action (EU) 2018/1999, and aligned with the Clean Energy for all Europeans Package.

The transition to low-carbon energy is associated with integrating climate management, using renewable energy sources in the production chain management system and supplying electricity and thermal energy [3,4,5,6]. In particular, it is predicted that by 2040 the level of electricity consumption in various areas will increase (the development of electric transport will contribute to this), which will contribute to the prevention, adaptation and mitigation of climate change. In addition, district heating is expected to play an essential role in the decarbonization of the energy sector in the coming years, as low-carbon sources such as waste heat and biomass are increasingly used for heat production [7]. Concurrently, the energy generation sector, particularly the district heating system, is still dominated by the combustion of fossil fuels, which significantly contributes to such emissions [8,9].

In this context, district heating is one of Europe’s most sustainable solutions for heating buildings. In particular, the use of this type of heating is well accepted in the northern countries of the European Union; it has low carbon emissions, and easily integrates with intermittent renewable energy when connected to the electrical grid.

At the same time, the sustainability of the functioning of district heating enterprises directly depends on the level of provision with primary resources necessary for heat production. In this context, innovative solutions in the district heating system are the following: diversification of renewable sources of resource supply in the district heating system using a geographic information system (GIS) [10]; cogeneration and trigeneration; use of biomass for the production of solid biofuels [11,12]; transition to low-temperature district heating and high-temperature district cooling [13,14]; use of geothermal energy [15]; ensuring the optimal distribution of thermal resources in a spatially distributed network and the creation of carbon-neutral energy systems [16]; integration of solar thermal panels into district heating plants [17]; installation of heat pumps [18]; and accounting for the specifics of the production, supply, use and climate management of green electricity and heat [19,20,21,22]. One of the measures planned by the Lithuanian energy policy for the heat sector of renewable energy sources, is the installation of heat pumps in district heating networks by 2030 [18]. Given this, understanding the readiness of district heating enterprises to work with such innovative resources plays a unique role in climate neutrality.

In order to promote distribution of energy generated from renewable energy sources, European legislation has introduced institutions such as Renewable Energy Communities, allowing the production and consumption of energy from common local power plants. Low-temperature district heating and cooling networks with distributed heat pumps have demonstrated the ability to use renewable energy and waste heat sources in urban environments. Therefore, they are considered a prospective infrastructure for decarbonizing the construction sector [23].

Another climate-neutral way to generate thermal energy in cities is the integration of waste heat (in the form of waste and emissions into the environment) obtained during the implementation of relevant production processes into the general heating system. Among the difficulties of such integration are the spatial distributions of urban heat sources concerning the existing heating network, and the timing of distribution of waste heat availability throughout the year. In [24], the authors carried out a feasibility study on integrating waste heat from a supermarket and an electrical substation into existing heating systems and developed a model for an economic assessment of the integration of urban heat sources into existing district heating systems. For this, the most appropriate integration of urban heat sources into existing district heating systems was determined (by hourly merit, the order of waste heat utilization technologies based on pinch analysis), and various temperature regimes of the urban source and existing network heat were considered.

Among alternative heat sources, geothermal energy is also used. In conventional geothermal district heating systems, the geothermal fluid is transported to a thermal center to give up its energy to a secondary fluid. This secondary liquid is then circulated in the city network to release thermal energy to the heating circuit via heat exchangers in substations. Finally, the geothermal fluid is re-injected to ensure resource continuity. With this in mind, in [15], the authors proposed a thermal energy storage system integrated into substations instead of heat exchangers to prevent heat loss and excessive electricity consumption by following just-in-time operating conditions.

A study of individual and collective consumption of photovoltaic energy for a fifth-generation district heating network is presented in [25]. The results showed that due to the different seasonality between heating demand and photovoltaic energy production, the increase in own consumption due to distributed heat pumps is less than 10%. Instead, the environmental benefit of switching individual and collective photovoltaic energy consumption to a district heat exchange network reduces CO2 emissions by 72–80% compared to the current situation, depending on the installed photovoltaic energy capacity.

In addition, the transition to using innovative renewable resources in a climate-neutral district heating system requires optimizing heat capacity management through smart technologies [9,26]. In [27], the authors laid the basis for smart interaction between green heat producers and consumers on the features of the HEAT 4.0 project, which integrated intelligent IT solutions into a new digital structure to achieve a holistic approach to district heating. HEAT 4.0 addresses the digital needs of the entire sector, from production site, to distribution, to end users, and creates synergies between the design, operation, maintenance and supply of district heating. Such solutions are called Cross System Services and are based on collaboration between components’ suppliers, university scientists, district heating companies, consultants and a typical platform provider [27].

At the same time, the transition to renewable energy sources and the integration of intelligent technologies into the district heating chain management system is a long-term process. Its implementation includes the formation of tools for determining and ensuring the stability of the resources of centralized heat enterprises before the introduction of climate innovations. In addition, it is crucial to create conditions for the transition to climate management of the chain of transmission of green thermal energy based on a closed cycle of renewable resources. Consequently, this article is devoted to the study of the features of providing and determining the ability of district heating enterprises to integrate climate management of innovative resources to produce green thermal energy.

For this purpose, the research structure was formed from the following sections:

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The concept and research methodologies of the district heating management system’s transformation, and the transition to the use of innovative resources for producing green thermal energy based on climate neutrality and a closed cycle of renewable resources;

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Determining the indicators of district heating enterprises’ capacity to use innovative renewable resources for the production of green thermal energy;

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Calculating the coefficient of a district heating enterprises’ resource sustainability for implementing climate innovations;

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Determining the features of the global trend of the transition to low-carbon energy through the diversification of renewable energy sources;

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Assessing the potential use of innovative renewable resources for the production of green thermal energy.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. The Concept and Research Methodology of the District Heating Management System’s Transformation and the Transition to the Use of Innovative Resources for Producing Green Thermal Energy

In the context of tracking the upward trend in the cost of natural fossil energy resources (in particular, natural gas), as well as periodic disruption of natural gas and coal supply chains, the priority for district heating enterprises is to make innovative management decisions. They seek to optimize the cost of the heat energy production chain and water heating through technological reengineering and the diversification of alternative sources of primary energy. Because of this, our research concept is to transform the centralized heat management system, facilitating the transition to using innovative resources to produce green thermal energy, based on climate neutrality and the closed cycle of renewable resources. As a consequence, the research methodology is based on a combination of systems, processes and cybernetic approaches to determine the stability of the resources of centralized heat exchangers. Another topic is to introduce climate innovation and indicators of the potential of centralized heat exchangers to use innovative renewable resources for the production of green heat energy.

The analysis of directions of activity and provision of services in the sphere of thermal power engineering in Ukraine was carried out on the examples of seven district heating enterprises. They indicated that during 2017–2021 there were active innovation activities for the implementation of energy-efficient and environmental (climate-neutral) solutions, particularly at: the urban utility Chernivtsi-Teplokomunenergo, Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo, the urban utility enterprise Khmelnytsk-Teplokomunenergo (implementation of investment programs), the State city enterprise Ivano-Frankivsk-Teplocomunenergo (installation of a bio-based boiler house), the State utility enterprise Lutskteplo (development of environmental policy), the LLC Rivneteploenergo and the Lviv urban utility enterprise Lviv-Teplokomunenergo (implementation of investment programs, implementation energy saving technologies, transition to cogeneration, electricity supply).

At the same time, it was diagnosed that the implementation of energy-efficient measures with the effect of decarbonization provides the attraction of investment programs. These support the production, supply and transportation of thermal energy, as well as the formation of supply chains of renewable resources for the production of green thermal energy. This leads to the need to form a toolkit for determining and ensuring the resource sustainability for district heating enterprises to implement climate innovations using innovative renewable resources to produce green thermal energy.

It should be noted that thermal power companies provide such services as: centralized heating, hot water production, distribution, transportation of thermal energy for heating and water heating by thermal networks, maintenance of pipelines and inspection of water meters. Based on a field study conducted in Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo, Lviv urban utility enterprise Lviv-Teplokomunenergo, it was established that the main raw material bases for the production of thermal energy in the last decade were gas and firewood. These, in turn, indicated a low level of energy efficiency and, as a result, a direct dependence of the tariff on the cost of raw materials; therefore, the functioning of the company depended on state subsidies and was subject to features of state regulation of tariff policy.

As a result, this leads to the introduction of engineering solutions for the technological process of boiler operation, distribution and transportation of thermal energy. This promotes the diversification of sources of primary energy production based on a closed cycle of using energy resources through the formation of intersectoral energy clusters [22] (according to the source supplies of alternative primary energy sources), and for strengthening cooperation with energy service companies. Because of this, the content of the transition to climate management of district heating enterprises’ innovative resources is to ensure the circular use of resources at all stages of heat supply.

2.2. Determining the Indicators of District Heating Enterprises’ Capacity to Use Innovative Renewable Resources for the Production of Green Thermal Energy

Due to the limited access to primary natural fossil energy sources (natural gas, coal, oil), forecasting the level of accessibility of renewable sources to produce heat and electricity is of particular importance to district heating enterprises. In order to determine the level of readiness for climate management of innovative resources, a survey was conducted among 21 managers of 7 district heating enterprises. Considering the natural and climatic conditions of the territory of Ukraine, the respondents were first asked to rank in terms of the availability of such types of renewable resources necessary to produce green electricity and thermal energy:

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Biomass (agricultural enterprises growing energy crops);

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Water resources: river resources, thermal waters (hydro stations, fish, recreational water facilities);

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Wind flows (wind farms, recreational facilities, households);

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Solar heat and lighting (solar stations, recreational facilities, households);

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Waste (industrial production, waste sorting facilities, households).

The next stage of the survey was to group the types of renewable resources needed to produce green thermal energy according to the indicators of: balanced resource use, climate neutrality and of economic feasibility.

According to the survey results, it was found that in terms of availability, balanced resource use, climate neutrality and economic feasibility, the priority role belongs to biomass and waste. In turn, the respondents noted that in terms of balanced resource use, the use of water resources is promising, in terms of climate neutrality, the use of solar energy is promising.

2.3. Calculating the Coefficient of District Heating Enterprises’ Resource Sustainability for Implementing Climate Innovations

It was necessary to ascertain the resource sustainability RS of heat power enterprises to the introduction of climate-neutral innovations through the production of green thermal energy, which is based on the use of alternative (recovery) raw materials. To achieve this, an assessment was made on the internal resource potential of heat power enterprises to implement such innovations at the enterprise, based on data from reports of its financial condition (balance sheet). In order to determine the factors of influence (the level of resource provision) and the resource potential for introducing climate innovations during the COVID-19 period, we have conducted mathematical modeling of resource sustainability for the urban utility Chernivtsi-Teplokomunenergo and Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo. The first is active in implementing projects involving external investments to transition to alternative energy sources. At the same time, the latter carries out technological modernization at the expense of internal resources with partial external investment to use alternative sources of raw materials to produce thermal energy. The data on non-current assets, equity, long-term liabilities and collateral were taken as the basis.

To assess the internal resource potential of thermal power enterprises, a set-theoretic approach was applied when calculating the coefficient of resource sustainability of thermal power enterprises to the introduction of climate-neutral innovations; namely, methods of interval analysis were applied to achieve the goal without generating a large number of data dynamics series, in particular in this form:

$$\left[\overrightarrow{RS}\right]=\left(\begin{array}{l}\left[R{S}_1^{-};R{S}_1^{+}\right]\\ ⋮\\ \left[R{S}_i^{-};R{S}_i^{+}\right]\\ ⋮\\ \left[R{S}_N^{-};R{S}_N^{+}\right]\end{array}\right)$$

(1)

in which $R{S}_i^{-}=R{S}_i-\Delta ,R{S}_i^{+}=R{S}_i+\Delta ,$$\Delta$ is a limited error with a known range of possible values.

The choice of a method for building a model developed on the interval approach [28,29] is based on its advantages of stochastic methods, namely:

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Interval analysis of data does not require the study of the statistical characteristics of the factors (correlation of factors with the determinant is determined during model building, factors that are not correlated with the determinant are excluded from the model based on generally accepted hypotheses of interval analysis. For example, when the interval estimate of the factor weight coefficient includes zero—this indicates the insignificance of this factor);

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Interval methods, unlike stochastic ones, allow obtaining adequate models based on small samples of statistical data. This is based on determining the adequacy of the model, which is a consequence of the possibility of solving (compatibility) a system of interval equations that provides the specified predictive properties of the resulting models.

To represent models, interval functional corridors are used in the following form:

$$\left[\mathit{RS}\left(r\right)\right]=\left[{\mathit{RS}}^{-}\left(r\right);{\mathit{RS}}^{+}\left(r\right)\right]$$

(2)

With the inertia of economic processes considered, interval models of the dynamics of indicators are used, which are described by discrete difference equations in the following form:

$$R{S}_{t+1}={\displaystyle \sum _{i=1}^S{\alpha }_{i,j}\cdot R{S}_{i,t}+}{\displaystyle \sum _{i=1}^L{\beta }_{i,j}\cdot r_{i,t}}$$

(3)

in which t is time that varies discretely $t=0,\dots ,N-1$, where N is the number of discrete values; $R{S}_{t+1}$ is the value of the indicator of the economic process under study at the $(t+1)$th discrete point in time; $R{S}_{i,t}$ is the value of the indicator of the economic process at $t$ a discrete point in time, $i=1,\dots ,S$, where S is the number of the studied discretes of the state of the indicator; ${\overrightarrow{r}}_t={\left(r_{t,1},\dots ,r_{t,L}\right)}^T$ is the vector of impact factors (resource provision for the introduction of climate-neutral innovations) at $t$ a discrete time point; ${\alpha }_{ji}$,${\beta }_{ji}$ indicate unknown coefficients of the model of the economic process or system.

Determination of the coefficients of the model allows obtaining interval corridors of predictive estimates of the studied indicator in the following form:

$$[{\overrightarrow{RS}}_{t+1}]={\overrightarrow{a}}_{}^T\cdot [{\overrightarrow{RS}}_t]+{\overrightarrow{b}}_{}\cdot {\overrightarrow{r}}_t$$

(4)

in which $[{\overrightarrow{RS}}_{t+1}],[{\overrightarrow{RS}}_t]$ indicates interval forecasts of the indicator under study; $\widehat{\overrightarrow{a}}$, $\widehat{\overrightarrow{b}}$ are estimates of model coefficients and economic process management factors, respectively.

It was proposed to determine the dynamics of changes in the financial condition (thermal energy production) as an indicator of the resource supply of a thermal power plant with an interval error of 1%.

In addition, given the fact that the assessment of the internal resource potential of thermal power enterprises is based on financial reporting data, accordingly, financial indicators should be considered as factor indicators for building an interval model: $r_{1,t}$, intangible assets, thousand UAH; $r_{2,t}$, capital investments in progress, thousand UAH; $r_{3,t}$, fixed assets, thousand UAH; $r_{4,t}$, own capital, thousand UAH; $r_{5,t}$, long-term liabilities and security, thousand UAH; t = 0, …, 5, the period corresponding to the 2016–2021 activities of enterprises.

Accordingly, the dynamic interval models for managing the resource sustainability of thermal power enterprises will look like:

$$R{S}_{j,t+1}=a_{}\cdot R{S}_{j,t}+{\displaystyle \sum _{i=1}^5{b}_i\cdot r_{j,t+1,i}^{}}$$

(5)

in which $R{S}_{j,k+1},R{S}_{j,k}$, the value of the indicator of resource sustainability (balance) of the jth enterprise; $j=1,2$, at $(t+1)$-th and t are discrete times; ${\overrightarrow{r}}_{j,t}={\left(r_{j,t,1},\dots ,r_{j,t,5}\right)}^T$, the vector of impact factors (ensuring the implementation of climate-neutral innovations) at discrete time t of the jth enterprise; $a_{}$, unknown coefficient of the model (for simplicity, the model takes into account only one previous state of the indicator, i.e., S = 1); $b_{ji}$, unknown coefficients of j-enterprise resource sustainability factors.

Next, the parameters of these equations were identified using interval data analysis methods, considering the statistical error under the following conditions:

$$R{S}_{j,k}\in [R{S}_{j,k}^{-};R{S}_{j,k}^{+}]$$

(6)

$$j=1,2;t=0,\dots ,5$$

Table 1. Initial data for the indicator of resource sustainability (balance) of the enterprises under study under COVID-19.

Enterprises	2016	2017	2018	2019 *	2020 *	2021 **
Urban utility Chernivtsi-Teplokomunenergo, thousand UAH ***	215,812	211,576	251,336	190,975	212,225	274,225
Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo, thousand UAH ***	264,894	322,295	619,800	696,967	878,815	1,070,481

* Data of urban utility Chernivtsi-Teplokomunenergo for 9 months. ** Data of urban utility Chernivtsi-Teplokomunenergo for 6 months. *** Data of the State Budget of Ukraine for 2021 (to calculate the indicators, the average annual forecast exchange rate for 2021 in Ukraine was used, UAH 29.1 per USD 1). Source: done by the authors based on the company’s financial statements.

and

Table 2. Interval values of the indicator of resource sustainability of enterprises.

Discrete	Interval Income Limits of Enterprises, Mln. UAH *
t	$\mathit{R}{\mathit{S}}_{\mathbf{1}\mathbf{,}\mathit{t}}^{\mathbf{-}}$	$\mathit{R}{\mathit{S}}_{\mathbf{1}\mathbf{,}\mathit{t}}^{\mathbf{+}}$	$\mathit{R}{\mathit{S}}_{\mathbf{2}\mathbf{,}\mathit{t}}^{\mathbf{-}}$	$\mathit{R}{\mathit{S}}_{\mathbf{2}\mathbf{,}\mathit{t}}^{\mathbf{+}}$
0	213,653.9	217,970.1	262,245.1	267,542.9
1	209,460.2	213,691.8	319,072.1	325,518
2	248,822.6	253,849.4	613,602	625,998
3	189,065.3	192,884.8	689,997.3	703,936.7
4	210,102.8	214,347.3	870,026.9	887,603.2
5	271,482.8	276,967.3	1059,776	1081,186

* Data of the State Budget of Ukraine for 2021 (to calculate the indicators, the average annual forecast exchange rate for 2021 in Ukraine was taken, UAH 29.1 per USD 1). Source: compiled by the authors.

show the initial data for the indicator of resource sustainability (balance) of the enterprises under study under the conditions of COVID-19 were shown.

The calculation of model coefficients is based on solving a system of interval equations in the following form:

$$\begin{array}{l}\{\begin{array}{l}[R{S}_{j,1}]=a_j^{}\cdot [R{S}_{j,0}]+{\overrightarrow{b}}_j\cdot {\overrightarrow{r}}_{j,0}\\ ⋮\\ [R{S}_{j,t+1}]=a_j^{}\cdot [R{S}_{j,t}]+{\overrightarrow{b}}_j\cdot {\overrightarrow{r}}_{j,t+1}\\ ⋮\\ [R{S}_{j,6}]=a_j^{}\cdot [R{S}_{j,5}]+{\overrightarrow{b}}_j\cdot {\overrightarrow{r}}_{j,5}\end{array},\\ j=1,2\end{array}$$

(7)

In order to simplify the construction of the model, it is enough to obtain a solution in the form of a point of the solution area of this system, so it is written in the following form:

$$\begin{array}{l}\{\begin{array}{l}R{S}_{{}_{j,1}}^{-}\le a_j^{}\cdot R{S}_{j,0}+{\overrightarrow{b}}_j\cdot {\overrightarrow{r}}_{j,0}\le R{S}_{{}_{j,1}}^{+}\\ ⋮\\ R{S}_{j,t+1}^{-}\le a_j^{}\cdot R{S}_{j,t}+{\overrightarrow{b}}_j\cdot {\overrightarrow{r}}_{j,t}\le R{S}_{j,t+1}^{+}\\ ⋮\\ R{S}_{{}_{j,6}}^{-}\le a_j^{}\cdot R{S}_{j,5}+{\overrightarrow{b}}_j\cdot {\overrightarrow{r}}_{j,5}\le R{S}_{{}_{j,6}}^{+}\end{array},\\ j=1,2\end{array}$$

(8)

in which $R{S}_{j,t}$ is the center of the interval value of the j-th enterprise.

For the calculations, the Optimization Toolbox MATLAB for linear programming (LP) was used. After evaluating the coefficients of the interval model of the dynamics of resource sustainability in the urban utility Chernivtsi-Teplokomunenergo and Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo, we obtained the following results in the form of point models:

$$\{\begin{array}{l}R{S}_{1,t+1}=-0.055\cdot R{S}_{1,t}-39.4672\cdot r_{1,1,t}-3.6184\cdot r_{1,2,t}+0.6462\cdot r_{1,3,t}+\\ +1.3677\cdot r_{1,4,t}-0.8322\cdot u_{1,5,t},\\ R{S}_{2,t+1}=-0.8244\cdot R{S}_{2,t}+1056.211\cdot r_{2,1,t}+2,0169\cdot r_{2,2,t}+3.3616\cdot r_{2,3,t}+\\ +0,2\cdot r_{2,4,t}-0.5377\cdot u_{2,5,t},\end{array}$$

(9)

in which $R{S}_{1,t+1}$, $R{S}_{2,t+1}$ are the predicted values of the indicator of resource sustainability to the introduction of climate innovations in the urban utility Chernivtsi-Teplokomunenergo and Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo, respectively.

The resulting models serve as an analytical tool for making decisions on implementing climate-neutral innovations based on predicting the resource sustainability indicator of an enterprise.

The obtained results testify to the resource sustainability of the introduction of climate innovations of the urban utility Chernivtsi-Teplokomunenergo and Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo in the conditions of COVID-19. This is the basis for the development of climate policy at thermal power enterprises, through the introduction of climate-neutral technologies based on the production of thermal energy.

This became the basis for the project development on the transition to climate management of innovative renewable resources (based on biomass) for the production of thermal energy using the example of the Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo. The enterprise ensures the stable functioning and operation of boiler houses, heating points and heating networks, carries out maintenance and overhaul of heat management equipment, develops design estimates for the construction and reconstruction of heat facilities and installs and repairs heat engineering equipment. In the pre-COVID-19 period, 41 natural gas-based boiler houses operated. According to the analytical studies and technological observations carried out on the Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo, the following has been established:

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The 4 largest boiler houses accounted for 50% of gas consumption;

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9 boiler houses, consuming 80% of natural gas, provided only 5% of the total heat energy production;

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27 boiler houses need technological reengineering.

The results obtained to testify to the resource sustainability of the introduction of climate innovations of Public Heat Network Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo in the conditions of COVID-19, according to formulas (1–9) were considered. Decisions have been made on implementing climate-neutral innovations, based on using innovative renewable resources for the production of thermal energy. It is calculated that installing thermal boilers that utilize biofuel (60 MW of thermal energy) involves attracting investments of USD 30 million. In turn, this will make it possible to generate a thermal energy of 210,000 Gcal/year (for five months) and reduce the use of gas by 26 million m³. As a result, it is proposed to install boilers that can operate on the combined use of natural gas and renewable resources (biomass) for thermal energy production.

Based on the results of an empirical study, it was found that in terms of availability, balanced resource use, climate neutrality and an economic feasibility, biomass and waste has a priority role. Considering the favorable natural and climatic conditions of the region in which the enterprise is located, as well as the availability of renewable resources (agro-biomasses, forest waste), a project has been developed to convert boiler houses to biomass, in particular, wood chips. According to the observations made on the implementation of such a project, the potential for producing 40% of thermal energy was established through the conversion of boiler houses to biomass (wood chips), which indicates the feasibility of switching to climate management with innovative resources of district heating enterprises.

With this in mind, the added scientific value of the method for determining the resource sustainability of district heating enterprises lies in justifying the feasibility of integrating climate management of innovative resources through the diversification of renewable energy sources for thermal energy production. In particular, the proposed method for determining the resource sustainability of district heating enterprises to the introduction of climate innovation is a methodological tool for making decisions on the transition to the use of innovative renewable resources for the production of green energy.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Approval of the Global Trend of the Transition to Low-Carbon Energy through Diversification of Renewable Energy Sources

For the transition to low-carbon energy through the diversification of renewable energy sources, it is of particular importance to study the aspects of integrating climate management into the general management system of district heating enterprises and the management of innovative resources (in particular, the use of renewable sources). By 2030 a change is predicted [30] in the structure of consumption of energy types by source, in the direction of a preference for alternative types of energy (renewable energy sources—from 10% to 22%, biomass—from 4% to 7%). Along with the developed types of renewable energy sources (solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, solid biofuels, biogas), other sources (hydrogen, tidal energy, current energy, ocean thermal energy) will be used in the future. This change is supported by [28,31,32,33], who tracked the positive dynamics of growth in demand for electricity from renewable sources.

As part of the implementation of climate action by the United Nations, the priority research areas of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network are “Climate and Energy” [34]. It should be noted that the “Roadmap to 2050: The Land-Water-Energy Nexus of Biofuels” [35] offers innovative approaches to the introduction of technologies for the production of biofuels (minimization of CO₂ emissions in the process processing of biomass and maximizing the production of oxygen producers from biomass production) by establishing the relationship of land, water and energy resources. Namely the transition to the cultivation of perennial energy crops, such as the processing of seaweed. Among the threats to the transition to biofuel production, there is a violation of the balance of food security, the ecological landscape and eco-chains and the commercialization of agricultural land.

As for Ukraine, in terms of the statistical data “Ukraine in numbers 2020” is shown in Figure 1. We tracked the positive dynamics of the decrease in the use of natural fossil energy sources as fuel for production, operational and domestic needs. In Figure 2 and Figure 3, in 2019 in Ukraine, we tracked the correlation between a supply decrease of electricity, gas, steam and conditioned air and a decrease in the impact of these substances on air pollution. In general, in Ukraine and other countries in 2020, a trend to revive economic activity and increase energy consumption was observed [36,37,38].

At the same time, in the context of the statistical data “Ukraine in numbers 2020” in Figure 2, the dynamics of the level of emissions of pollutants into the atmospheric air from the supply of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning in Ukraine in 2020 kept a downward trend. In this context, as a justification for this trend, it should be noted that according to the data of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine in August 2020, the share of renewable energy reached 16.6%; this was safe for the environment and ensured both the implementation of the principle of resource conservation (rational nature management) and climate neutrality in energy.

Considering this, our study’s results have scientific and practical value in creating conditions for the transition to low-carbon energy through integrating climate management with innovative renewable resources. Mainly, based on the results of an empirical study using ranking and grouping methods to determine the level of readiness of Ukrainian district heating enterprises for climate management of innovative renewable resources (biomass, waste, hydropower, solar energy, wind energy), it was found that in terms of availability, balanced resource use, climate neutrality and economic feasibility, the priority candidate is biomass and waste. In turn, in terms of balanced resource use, the use of water resources for electricity production is promising; while in climate neutrality, the use of solar energy is promising.

3.2. Potential Use of Innovative Renewable Resources for Green Thermal Energy Production

In this context, among renewable energy sources, we single out biomass, in particular energy crops, which are oxygen producers and raw materials used to produce biofuels. Within the context of climate change and the decarbonization of transport, biofuels are considered an ecological type of fuel in the field of transport (aviation, shipping, heavy-duty transport), which by 2050 will cover from 10 to 20% of the need for fuel for transport. It should be noted that in the context of integrating the principles of the circular economy into energy and climate change mitigation, biofuels are divided into groups depending on the source of origin of biomass [35]:

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Plant-derived biofuels—biofuels made from agricultural products, including sugar cane, wheat, corn and soybeans;

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Second-generation biofuel—biofuel, for the production of which the source of biomass is wood, organic waste, food waste, energy crops (energy willow, poplar, miscanthus, polonium);

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Third-generation biofuels—biofuels produced from crops specifically designed for biofuels such as algae (“macroalgae”, including large species such as kelp, “microalgae”, concerning smaller species, cyanobacteria, various prokaryotic species);

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Bio-diesel—a renewable, biodegradable fuel made from vegetable oils (e.g., palm oil, rapeseed oil), animal fats or restaurant lubricants that are recycled;

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Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE)—fuel ether or a mixture of fuel components containing oxygen in the chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms, which can be blended with gasoline or biofuels to reduce emissions and improve fuel performance as to its high oxygen content and octane content. Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) can be produced from ethanol and isobutylene (non-reducible) or via reducible ethanol and reducible isobutene (recoverable).

According to the forecast data analysis for 2019–2028 in “Roadmap to 2050: The Land-Water-Energy Nexus of Biofuels” [35], the primary source for biofuel production on a global scale is the first-generation biomass. In contrast, an open question in the future of energy development from renewable sources is the transition to the production of biofuels from second- and third-generation biomass (depending on the natural and climatic characteristics of the region), which makes it possible to increase energy efficiency and ensure a climate-neutral transition of industries using biofuels in their activities.

One of the imperatives of climate adaptation of the economy is to involve the agricultural sector in addressing the issue of providing biomass and moving toward carbon-neutral district heating. In addressing this issue [12], a factorial model of interaction between agricultural and green energy enterprises is proposed by optimizing the biomass supply chain. The use of biomass (in particular, the cultivation of energy renewable plant resources) as a source of green heat and electricity, as well as biofuels (solid biofuels: pellets; biogas; liquid biofuels: bioethanol, biodiesel), are the basis for the development of green energy in general. Introducing climate management, such innovative resources including biomass, involve upgrading boiler houses for biomass and solid biofuels and constructing thermal power plants to use biomass. It, in turn, leads to the development of indicators of the ability of district heating enterprises to use innovative renewable resources to produce green thermal energy.

The complexity of introducing climate-neutral and energy-efficient innovations in the thermal power industry primarily lies in implementing technological modernization solutions that directly depend on the enterprise’s financial stability, namely, the flexibility and customer focus on the tariff policy. In recent years, the growth of the cost of primary natural energy resources (natural gas) causes an increase in the cost of final consumption of thermal energy. As a result, the population is encouraged to introduce energy-efficient technologies in heat supply, namely: the rejection of centralized heat supply, the transition to an individual electric method of generating heat and water heating (installation of boilers). In turn, such circumstances at the level of the thermal power plant, as well as maintaining competitiveness in the market, determines the transition to innovative engineering based on energy efficiency, resource conservation, climate neutrality and economic sustainability.

The scientific papers [39,40,41] present aspects of macro-modeling of sustainable economic development indicators; the development of a model for determining indicators of sustainable development at the microeconomic level is an open question.

In this context, scientific value has been added to our proposal for applying the set-theoretical approach to calculating the coefficient of resource sustainability of district heating enterprises to the climate management of innovative resources for the production of green thermal energy, which is based on the use of renewable energy sources. In particular, the fuzzy sets method was applied, making it possible to achieve the set goal without the deep formation of data dynamics series, particularly interval models. The results indicate the resource sustainability of Ukrainian district heating enterprises to climate management of innovative resources through the diversification of renewable energy sources for thermal energy production.

It should be noted that globally, the process of abandoning natural energy resources has accelerated in 2022 due to Russian military aggression in Ukraine. As a result, by 2027, the European Union plans to minimize the use of natural (primary) energy resources by switching to renewable energy sources, which, in turn, will contribute to implementing standard European measures for resource efficiency and climate neutrality in 2050 and 2070.

In May 2022, the European Commission adopted the REPowerEU plan, the Persian Gulf Strategy and “The EU External Energy Engagement in a Changing World”, which aimed to apply measures to phase out Russian gas by 2027 by switching to alternative energy sources and strengthening energy efficiency [42]. In particular, the REPowerEU Plan provides the attraction of an additional 20 million tons of renewable hydrogen by 2030. In addition, it is planned to develop and implement measures to restore the energy system of Ukraine (REPowerUkraine).

4. Conclusions

Under the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal, a course has been taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure climate-neutral economic development. In particular, among the priority areas of activity are the decarbonization of industry, construction, transport, the supply of clean, affordable and safe energy and the development of smart energy infrastructure. District heating is considered one of the reliable ways to provide thermal energy in the European Union countries. The concept of the study was the transformation of the district heating management system and the transition to the use of innovative resources for producing green thermal energy based on climate neutrality and a closed cycle of renewable resources.

In general, energy management aims to minimize the consumption of energy resources; climate management aims to minimize environmental pollution, in particular, maximizing the decarbonization of thermal power. Among the measures for the transition to a climate-neutral thermal-power industry is an assessment of the vulnerability of thermal power plants, the use of renewable energy sources, the introduction of smart technologies for energy management and the verification of environmental pollution monitoring by thermal power plants. In this context, at the level of thermal power enterprises, integrating the climate management system as an innovative managerial direction into the enterprise’s energy management’s general organizational and economic mechanism is of particular importance. The implementation of climate management provides forecasting, planning, organizing and monitoring of the effectiveness of the use of climate-neutral technologies at all stages of heat supply from the supply of renewable raw materials for the production of green thermal energy, to the consumption of this energy by households and business entities.

According to this, the scientific novelty of the study is a comprehensive assessment of the ability of district heating enterprises to use renewable resources (biomass, waste, hydropower, solar energy, wind energy) for the production of thermal energy. To determine feasibility, indicators such as: an indicator of balanced resource use, an indicator of climate neutrality and an indicator of economic feasibility were assessed. The empirical study used ranking and grouping methods to determine the level of readiness of Ukrainian district heating enterprises for climate management of innovative renewable resources (biomass, waste, hydropower, solar energy, wind energy). Based on the results of the study, it was found that in terms of availability, balanced resource use, climate neutrality and economic feasibility, the priority role belongs to biomass and waste. In turn, in terms of balanced resource use, the use of water resources for electricity production is promising; in climate neutrality, the use of solar energy is promising.

The added scientific value of the proposed method for determining the resource sustainability of district heating enterprises is the rationale for integrating climate management of innovative resources through the diversification of renewable energy sources for thermal energy production. Such research results are the basis for developing a mechanism for creating intersectoral energy clusters based on a closed resource use cycle. These mechanisms can be developed by the level of provision and availability of the raw material base for the production of green energy: biomass (by the source of origin), water resources, wind flows, solar heat, solar light and waste.

Given this, the prospects for future research are to assess climate risks and develop an algorithm for forming intersectoral energy clusters in the production chain of green thermal energy and electric energy, based on a closed cycle of renewable resources. In particular, taking into account the favorable natural and climatic territorial location of Ukraine for the development of agriculture, one of the imperatives of climate adaptation of the Ukrainian economy is to involve the agricultural sector to ensure the transition to carbon-neutral energy. Accordingly, we will lay the foundations for strengthening the relationship between water and land (agricultural) energy resources for the production of biofuels as a climate-neutral and energy-efficient raw material in the chain of providing green energy (thermal energy and electricity). This is the basis for developing a management mechanism for the development of climate policy in the energy market for final consumption (households, transport and other business entities), based on the circular economy and intersectoral cluster cooperation at the regional level.