Vienna Zoo Schönbrunn to Rely on District Heating in the Future

The outdated gas boiler system, which previously heated the entire area including the animal enclosures at Schönbrunn Zoo, will be replaced by district heating. According to the energy provider, this will save approximately 800 tons of CO2 emissions per heating season in the future. This corresponds to the binding capacity of about 60,000 trees, as was announced on Thursday.

Schönbrunn Zoo with High Energy Consumption

Even historical Viennese facilities - the zoo is the oldest existing zoo in the world - are being brought "up to date" in terms of climate protection, emphasized City Planning Councillor Ulli Sima (SPÖ). The administrative building, the gastronomy, and the Desert House will also be supplied with district heating in the future. The zoo has a high energy demand, "for example, for heating tropical animal houses, but also for visitor areas and gastronomy," explained Michael Strebl, Chairman of the Management Board of Wien Energie.

Gas Boiler System at Schönbrunn Zoo to be Dismantled

The previous gas boiler system, which is now being dismantled, was the largest still active at a Wien Energie customer with a capacity of ten megawatts. A pipeline must be built beforehand. Along the new line, which reaches the zoo from the south via Maxingstraße, more than 60 buildings could be additionally connected.

District Heating Relies on Deep Geothermal Energy and Large Heat Pumps

According to Wien Energie, district heating is still operated about half with gas-fired power plants, but compared to individual gas heaters, only a fraction of the CO2 emissions are produced. By 2040, district heating is to completely abandon fossil fuels. More than half of district heating production is then to come from deep geothermal energy and large heat pumps.

More on Vienna's Urban Development

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.