About Aalborg Forsyning
Aalborg Forsyning is one of Denmark’s most advanced public utilities, supplying district heating to more than
100,000 households and businesses. Rooted in the city’s century-long energy history, we are now reimagining
district heating as a dynamic, circular system — one that connects industry, data centers, and CO₂ utilization technologies in a single, intelligent energy network.
As part of the CO₂Vision initiative under the Business Lighthouse North Denmark, we are inviting startups and innovators to help us unlock the next generation of integrated heat and cooling systems — balancing temperature, energy, and carbon across sectors
Why Aalborg Forsyning Matters
Aalborg Forsyning sits at the core of Northern Denmark’s emerging industrial symbiosis. The utility’s extensive district heating network already connects industries, residential areas, and public institutions — forming a living laboratory for circular energy innovation.
During the summer months, heat demand from the district heating system drops to a minimum, while surplus heat from industrial and CO₂-related processes increases significantly. This creates an opportunity to use the district heating network not only as a heat sink, but also as an active energy source for new applications.
At the same time, demand for comfort cooling in office buildings, shopping malls, and other facilities rises. This opens a unique challenge — and opportunity — to transfer energy from the district heating network into a district cooling system, effectively turning excess heat into cooling power.
By enabling this dual use of the district heating infrastructure, Aalborg Forsyning aims to demonstrate how surplus energy can circulate seamlessly between heating and cooling — making the region a model for circular
energy systems.
The Regional Opportunity
Northern Denmark is uniquely positioned to demonstrate what circular energy looks like in practice:
- A robust district heating infrastructure ready for industrial and digital integration
- A cluster of energy-intensive industries and CO₂ projects, including Asetek and Fidelis
- A growing network of data centers generating low-temperature waste heat that can be captured, upgraded, and redistributed
- Strong public-private collaboration and open innovation frameworks
- Abundant renewable electricity enabling power-to-heat and heat storage solutions
Together, these assets make Aalborg an ideal testbed for a regional Heat & Cooling Hub — a next-generation energy node that connects surplus heat, cooling demand, and CO₂ utilization into a single, flexible system.
How can we integrate new low-temperature heat sources — such as data centers and CO₂ processes — into the district heating network to create a fully circular, flexible, and climate-positive energy system?
We are calling on startups to help us explore and demonstrate:
- How can low-grade waste heat (15–65 °C) be upgraded and reused in the district heating grid (70–80 °C)?
- Which technological solutions — e.g. high-temperature heat pumps, advanced heat exchangers, or hybrid thermal storage — can balance fluctuating energy streams between partners?
- How can cooling water from CO₂ processes (15–20 °C) be reused or upcycled to benefit local systems?
- Can AI, smart control systems, or predictive thermal management software optimize energy flow in real time — particularly between data centers, district heating, and local cooling systems?
- How can power-to-heat solutions (e.g. electric boilers, two-stage heat pumps) provide both temperature regulation and grid balancing services (FFR/FCR-D)?
- How can thermal storage or buffer technologies help stabilize operations across variable heat and power
supply?
Pilot-ready or near-market solutions in areas such as:
- Heat recovery and low-to-high temperature upgrading
• Integration of industrial and data center waste heat into district heating - Smart energy management systems and digital twins for thermal balance
- Thermal or hybrid energy storage technologies
- Power-to-heat and grid flexibility solutions
- Circular cooling and CO₂ utilization processes connected to local energy flows
Selected startups will gain:
- Access to Aalborg Forsyning’s engineering, data, and test facilities
- Visibility via CO₂Vision and The Business Lighthouse Initiative in North Denmark
- Access to real-world thermal and CO₂ impact data
- Opportunities for joint development, commercialization, or investment partnerships
Contact
Else Bech, Project Manager in CO2Vision Next SPIN-IN, part of Green Hub Denmark
+45 24 79 61 64
elsebech@aalborg.dk
