Optit is a partner in MUSE DHC, a European LIFE24-CET project that promotes the roll-out of efficient district heating networks, powered by renewable sources and waste heat.

The goal is to accelerate the decarbonisation of European cities by putting people back at the centre of the transition. In a context of energy uncertainty, MUSE DHC transforms the sector’s paradigm by promoting models based on energy independence and collective ownership.

European scale, local impact

Through collaboration between 10 partners across 7 countries, the project works on 9 pilot networks (case studies) in France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. In these contexts, MUSE DHC does not just design infrastructure, it develops ecosystems where:

  • citizens take the lead: through participatory governance models and cooperative structures;
  • resources come from the local area: by recovering waste heat and local renewable sources to cut costs and emissions;
  • innovation is scalable: the solutions tested in the first 9 networks will be replicated in a second phase by another 9 systems across Europe.

From large multi-utilities to energy communities

Optit’s value in the project lies in its ability to transfer the know-how and solutions developed with leading national and international players to a scale closer to the local area: that of community-led DHC.

Our task is to provide concrete support for local heat transition strategies by drawing on our experience in modelling and optimisation, harnessing the potential of our proprietary digital solutions OptiEPTM and OptiDEN.

In MUSE DHC, in particular, we work to:

  • democratise technological excellence: we adapt our strategic planning tools (Strategic Investment Designer) to the needs of smaller systems, making optimisation accessible even to organisations of limited complexity;
  • explore the new generation of heat: we delve into fifth-generation systems (ambient loop), a technological frontier profoundly different from traditional systems;
  • innovate governance: we study models for setting up hybrid energy communities (electricity-heat) to promote participatory approaches and collective ownership models, moving beyond the purely top-down

With MUSE DHC, Optit’s scientific rigour becomes the tool for maximising the socio-economic and environmental benefits of local areas, accelerating the shift towards clean, shared energy.

Project carried out with the contribution of the European Union’s LIFE programme No. 101215495 — LIFE24-CET MUSE DHC.