The CO2-based seawater heat pump from German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions, located in the Danish port city of Esbjerg, has been put into operation. The plant, with a total heating capacity of 70 MW, will supply climate-neutral heat to Esbjerg and the neighboring town of Varde.
Germany MAN Energy Solutions has commissioned the first unit of its industrial heat pump in Esbjerg, Denmark.
Billed as the world’s largest CO2-based seawater heat pump, the facility is expected to provide approximately 280 GWh of climate-neutral heat annually, covering the heating needs of 25,000 households.
The installation of the project started in June 2023. It has a total heating capacity of 70 MW and works together with a 60 MW wood chip boiler using sustainable wood chips and a 40 MW electric boiler plant that serves as a peak and backup load supply.
The heat pump uses non-toxicologically and environmentally friendly CO2 as a coolant during the entire system cycle. MAN Energy Solutions says this will enable rapid energy balancing of the electricity grid, supporting the integration of intermittent energy generation such as solar and wind energy, 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 engine 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. .
Executed 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 station, and the neighboring town of Varde.
“As a pioneering city, Esbjerg shows how district heating systems can be transformed by using renewable energy sources,” said Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions. “Using innovative industrial-scale heat pumps to deliver sustainable heating is not just a technological achievement, but a blueprint for other cities around the world as they transition to greener energy systems.”
In September, MAN Energy Solutions delivered one 33 MW heat pump for the world’s largest air-to-water heat pump project to date, under development in Helsinki, Finland.
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