The Energy Mix
Summary
As climate and energy security concerns accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels, the demand for “giant” commercial heat pumps is “exploding” across Europe.
Thousands of times more powerful than their domestic kin, the mammoth commercial devices are increasingly on the radar of municipalities looking to end their dependence on fossil fuels, reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. The trend is particularly marked in Europe, where the desire to sever remaining gas links with Russia runs high, leading to a rush for “bigger and beefier heat pump systems that can power entire towns.”
German firm MAN Energy Solutions has developed a 48-megawatt heat pump that exemplifies the immense scales on offer. Using a Montreal Protocol-compliant carbon dioxide refrigerant, the device can generate temperatures up to 150°C and is ideal for district heating systems, where one centralized energy source distributes heat to multiple buildings or structures.
The Danish port city of Esbjerg recently plugged itself into two such pumps, which will use the compressed heat from a small amount of seawater to send more hot water through a district heating system that serves 27,000 households.
“The demand for district heating is exploding,” says MAN ES business development lead Raymond Decorvet.
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