From digging trenches to decarbonising cities

Morten Duedahl’s journey in heat networks started with a spade in his hand - literally.

As a teenager, he helped his father dig a trench from his family home to the street to lay district heating pipes. 

Today, his role is far more strategic: supporting the rollout and modernisation of heat networks across the UK and Europe.

In Episode 18 of The Decarbonisation Dialogue, Morten, who works with the Danish Board of District Heating, shares how his early hands-on experience evolved into a decades-long international career. 

Morten, who has worked in Eastern Europe and Russia as well as the UK and Scandinavia, has witnessed firsthand how district energy systems can transform communities and the planet.

For Morten, the case for heat networks is clear: they’re central to delivering affordable, efficient, and low-carbon heating at scale.

He said: “If you want to change the heat source in a district heating system, from gas or oil or coal, to something that is really renewable then you only have to do it in one place, instead of having to go out to millions of homes and changing their boiler or their heat source.

“We can change centralized. And we can change in a way we make it cheap for everybody.”

This centralised flexibility is key to reducing emissions quickly and affordably. In Denmark, district heating already serves more than 64% of homes and 98% of buildings in the capital, Copenhagen. The system is approximately 75% carbon neutral and rising.

“There are so many heat sources that are otherwise wasted or that are really renewable that we can now put into our systems. We think that we will reach close to 100% in five to ten years, 100% renewable heat, that is good for the climate, which is good for the world,” Morten adds.

While the upfront costs of district heating systems can be significant, Morten prefers to focus on affordability and on the broader consequences of inaction.

“Think about the future costs for the climate… political cost, local jobs, local supply chain, or import independence making us less dependent on resources from states we may not be too happy about – consider this.”

He also points to Denmark’s success as a combination of policy and necessity. During the 1970s oil crisis, Denmark - unlike the UK - lacked domestic gas reserves, prompting innovation.

He said: “It’s my personal opinion that if we had had the all the gas you knew you had in the UK, we would probably have had the same amount of gas heating as have in the UK today.

“We felt unlucky at that time, but we were lucky. From the seventies onwards, we went down two routes, we made sure our buildings were more and more energy efficient and we have some of the highest energy efficient standards for buildings in Denmark, and at the same time dedicated different areas to use district heating or to use natural gas.

“In the UK you only rolled out natural gas networks. We had that choice between the two different systems.”

Despite the historical differences, Morten is optimistic about the UK’s direction.

“I see enormous commitment from many local authorities both in Scotland and England where I work a lot on this carbon agenda. 

“They are really searching for ways to deliver an affordable, fairly priced green heating solution to the citizens. When you look at Scottish government and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, I think they do a lot of good things.

“I would love them to do much more and much more and faster, but that’s my job also, remember that!”

His background includes leading roles in the District Energy Partnership, where he worked extensively across the UK to support local heat network development.

Scaling up district heating will require people, lots of them. Morten says the skills gap is real, but not insurmountable.

“We need welders, planners, and technicians, but we don’t start from zero. Welders can be retrained. Urban planners can learn heat network planning. What’s essential is that governments and education providers support this shift.”

Digital tools and smarter planning are also key. “It should be easier to lay pipes. We should digitalise the planning process. Denmark has come a long way here.”

For Morten, the work is personal. He’s lived with district heating his whole life and now sees it as part of a broader mission. Digging that trench for his father had its impact.

Morten is also conscious of his own carbon footprint and the impact his lifestyle habits have on the environment.  “Working in this business, having children inspires me a lot regarding my lifestyle.

“It’s about the small things also. My hope is that sitting here, talking with you, is my contribution to a better world and a better planet.”

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