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The CO2-based seawater heat pump from German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions in the Danish port city of Esbjerg has gone into operation. The facility, with a total heating capacity of 70 MW, will provide climate-neutral heat to Esbjerg and the neighbouring town of Varde.
German company MAN Energy Solutions has commissioned the first unit of its industrial-scale heat pump in Esbjerg, Denmark.
This installation, considered the largest seawater heat pump with CO2 in the world, will supply around 280 GWh of climate-neutral heat annually and cover the heating needs of 25,000 homes.
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 using sustainable chips and a 40 MW electric boiler plant serving as a peaking and standby facility.
The heat pump uses non-toxic and environmentally safe CO2 as a refrigerant for the entire system cycle. MAN Energy Solutions says this enables power to be balanced quickly from the power grid, thereby supporting the integration of intermittent power generation such as solar and wind, while also helping to protect the plant’s location on the shores of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wadden Sea.
The plant features two oil-free, hermetic HOFIM 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.
The heat pump, operated by multi-utility company DIN Forsyning, supplies heat to the district heating networks in Esbjerg, as part of plans to replace the citys coal-fired power plant, and to the neighbouring town of Varde.
“As a pioneering city, Esbjerg demonstrates how district heating systems can be reshaped by taking advantage of renewable energy sources,” said Dr. Uwe Lauber, Managing Director of MAN Energy Solutions. “The use of innovative heat pumps on an industrial scale to provide sustainable heating is not only a technological achievement, but also a model for other cities around the world in their transition to greener energy systems.”
In September, MAN Energy Solutions supplied a 33 MW heat pump for the worlds largest air-to-water heat pump project to date, which is being developed in Helsinki, Finland. |
