Climate-neutral heating and cooling for Berlin TXL
On the former grounds of Berlin Tegel Airport, an urban district is emerging that draws its heat and cooling entirely from climate-neutral sources.
Around 5,000 residential units, 1,000 businesses and 20,000 jobs are being created across 500 hectares. A district of this size and mixed use cannot be supplied in a climate-neutral way by a conventional district heating system based on the principle of “one producer, many consumers”.
Working with the project developers from inception, BLS Energieplan developed an integrated heating and cooling concept based on air-source heat pumps, geothermal energy, wastewater heat and biomethane.
At its core is a bidirectional low-exergy network with a supply temperature of 40 °C. It reduces heat losses and enables industrial and commercial tenants to feed surplus heat into the grid. In this way, consumers also become energy producers.
Disciplines
- Energy
- Urban Infrastructure & Utilities
- Renewable Energy
- Integrated Energy Systems
Companies
BLS Energieplan GmbH
Client
Tegel Projekt GmbH (Berlin TXL)
Duration
From 2017 to 2025
Location
Berlin Tegel, Germany
Project Activities
Advisory and specialist planning services for the district’s technical energy systems, including:
- Development of an integrated heating and cooling concept for a mixed-use urban district
- Technical system concept for the concession award process
- Design of a bidirectional low-exergy heating and cooling network based on geothermal energy, wastewater heat, air-source heat pumps and biomethane
- Detailed design and approval planning of the district’s technical energy systems
Impact
- 100% climate-neutral heating and cooling supply for one of Germany’s largest urban development projects
- Reduction of fossil energy consumption by more than 80% through the use of renewable energy sources and the recovery of waste heat
- Significantly lower heat losses thanks to a bidirectional low-exergy network with a supply temperature of 40 °C
- Reduced operating costs and CO₂ emissions through waste heat recovery and the use of renewable energy sources
Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
We are committed to making a positive impact and supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This project contributes to the following SDGs:
Companies
