The first heat has been supplied to 25,000 households connected to heat networks in the Danish towns of Esbjerg and Varde from an industrial-scale heat pump using renewable energy from nearby wind farms and seawater as a heat source.
Located at the Port of Esbjerg, the MAN Energy Solutions heat pump is part of the transition to replace the city’s coal-fired power plant, which ceased operations. With a total heating capacity of 70 MW, the CO2-based heat pump system is claimed to be the largest of its kind ever brought into operation globally. It operates in tandem with a new 60MW wood chip boiler that uses sustainable wood chips and a 40MW electric boiler plant, which serves as a peak and backup load facility.
Operated by multi-utility company DIN Forsyning, the new heat pump plant will supply approximately 280,000 MWh of heat annually.
Helle Damm-Henrichsen, Managing Director of DIN Forsyning, said, “From now on, all our customers in Varde and Esbjerg will benefit from district heating directly sourced by the North Sea. This achievement is not only transformative for DIN Forsyning but also a major step forward for the climate. While we may be in western Jutland, I believe it’s fair to call this a world premiere: the world’s largest CO2-based seawater heat pump is now producing heat.”
Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions, stated: “I’m extremely proud that our Mega Heat Pump is now providing climate-neutral heat to the people of Esbjerg and Varde. … 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.”
A key feature of MAN’s solution is its use of carbon dioxide as a refrigerant for the entire system-cycle. The solution also enables fast power-balancing of the electrical grid and thus supports the integration of intermittent power generation like solar and wind. The system can be switched on and off many times a day with fast reaction capability.
The basic principle of heat pump technology is to use electrical energy to elevate low-temperature thermal energy to a higher, usable level. For every 1MWh of electrical energy invested, approximately 3MWh of usable thermal energy can be generated.