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German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions’ CO2-based seawater heat pump, located in the Danish port city of Esbjerg, has started operation. The facility, with a total heating capacity of 70 MW, will provide climate-neutral heat to Esbjerg and neighbouring town Varde.
Germany’s MAN Energy Solutions has commissioned the first unit of its industrial-scale heat pump in Esbjerg, Denmark.
Billed as the world’s largest CO2-based seawater heat pump, the facility is set to supply approximately 280 GWh of climate-neutral heat annually, covering the heating needs of 25,000 households.
Installation of the project began in June 2023. It has a total heating capacity of 70 MW and operates in tandem with a 60 MW wood chip boiler that uses sustainable wood chips and a 40 MW electric boiler plant that serves as a peak and backup load facility.
The heat pump utilizes non-toxicologically and environmentally safe CO2 as a refrigerant for the entire system cycle. MAN Energy Solutions says this enables fast power-balancing of the electrical grid, thus supporting the integration of intermittent power generation like solar and wind, while also helping to protect the plant’s location on the shore of the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The plant features two oil-free, hermetically-sealed HOFIM motor-compressor units, developed and manufactured by MAN Energy Solutions in Zurich, which the company says use high-speed motors and active magnetic bearings to eliminate the need for oil and reduce maintenance requirements.
Operated by multi-utility company DIN Forsyning, the heat pump supplies heat to the district heating networks of Esbjerg, as part of plans to replace the city’s coal-fired power plant, and neighboring town Varde.
“As a pioneering city, Esbjerg demonstrates how urban heating systems can be reshaped by harnessing renewable energy sources,” said MAN Energy Solutions CEO Dr Uwe Lauber. “Utilizing innovative industrial-scale heat pumps to deliver sustainable heating is not just a technological achievement but a blueprint for other cities worldwide as they transition to greener energy systems.”
In September, MAN Energy Solutions supplied a 33 MW heat pump for the world’s largest air-to-water heat pump project to date, under development in Helsinki, Finland. |
