From isolated systems to an integrated network: expanding urban district heating
A SaaS platform that simulates growth scenarios within thermal-hydraulic constraints and ranks them by net present value, bringing technical and commercial teams together around a single decision-making environment.
The challenge
A major Italian district heating player faces one of the sector’s toughest challenges: optimising and expanding the Milan district heating network starting from a set of unconnected systems. Growth needs to be steered towards high-density residential areas, selecting the highest-value development options without ever breaching the network’s thermal-hydraulic constraints. It’s a decision that weaves together engineering and economics, one that stays fragmented when tackled with traditional tools. The question is clear: how do you direct investment towards the highest-value expansion scenarios while guaranteeing full technical feasibility?
How we create value
OptiDEN, delivered as SaaS, simulates network growth and development scenarios, respecting all thermal-hydraulic constraints while maximising net present value (NPV), and steering investment towards the most advantageous options. Originally built for the engineering team, the tool quickly proved valuable for commercial departments too: thanks to an integrated hydraulic model of the network, multiple technically validated scenarios can be analysed independently. OptiDEN becomes a shared decision-making environment, where technical data and economic assessments coexist to support integrated, informed choices.
Impact
- Expansion scenarios simulated within technical constraints and optimised for net present value.
- Technical and commercial teams aligned around a single shared decision-making environment.
- Independent analysis of multiple scenarios, already technically validated, thanks to the integrated hydraulic model.
- Ongoing support for strategic assessments and for designing evolving, adaptive system roadmaps.
