This year's DESY Award for Exceptional Achievements in the field of engineering and technology went to Michael Koepke and Torben Warnecke!

Through innovative ideas, outstanding expertise and perseverance, the two have managed to ensure that the previously unused waste heat from accelerator operation can be used to heat the campus and perhaps even the neighborhood in the future. This will not only reduce DESY's CO2 footprint, but also operating costs considerably.

It is thanks to Michael Koepke, who came up with the idea, that the low-temperature waste heat utilization project at DESY came about in cooperation with HAW Hamburg. Torben Warnecke, still a student at HAW at the time, investigated the waste heat sources on the DESY campus in Hamburg together with Michael Koepke. These included magnetic cooling systems, chillers for cooling buildings and other systems. This analysis showed that there is considerable potential in the 35°C temperature range.

Their work served as the basis for the application for funding as part of the HGF project funding for climate-friendly renovation and sustainable energy conversion in 2022 for the implementation of waste heat recovery. The theoretical considerations were developed into concrete plans. This application raised €8.2 million. Firstly, for the construction of a low-temperature network with the waste heat from the XFEL and the PETRA Süd HF facility. This will be used to directly supply the future new buildings in the Campus South area.  35°C is not sufficient for our existing buildings with their small(er) radiators. For these, the temperature of the waste heat from the 47d cooling center will be increased even further using a heat pump and the waste heat will then be fed into the local heating ring of the DESY campus, which in turn will supply the existing buildings.

These two measures and the existing use of waste heat from the cryogenics plant will cover the majority of the campus's heating requirements. This contributes significantly to DESY's sustainable energy concept.

More information on waste heat utilization can be found here.