August M
Across Europe, cities are accelerating efforts to clean up heating, one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. Large electric heat pumps linked to district heating networks are emerging as a central tool in that transition.
The technology is expensive and complex, but proponents say it allows cities to replace fossil fuels while supplying heat reliably at scale.
Costs and ambition
According to the BBC, industrial heat pumps require major upfront investment. Alexandre de Rougemont of German manufacturer Everllence says heat-pump equipment typically costs about €500,000 per megawatt of installed capacity, before factoring in buildings and other infrastructure.
Despite those costs, projects are growing larger. Everllence is working on a 176MW system in Aalborg, Denmark, scheduled to begin operating in 2027.
The installation is expected to meet nearly one third of the town’s heating demand.
To manage electricity price swings, operators often pair heat pumps with large thermal storage. “When the electricity price is high, you stop your heat pump and only provide heat from the storage,” Mr de Rougemont explains.
Networks evolving
Heat pumps are most effective when integrated into district heating networks that distribute hot water or steam to multiple buildings through extensive pipe systems.
Veronika Wilk of the Austrian Institute of Technology tells the BBC that running several large heat pumps on a single network improves both flexibility and efficiency. Operators can adjust output depending on seasonal demand rather than running systems flat out year-round.
Helsinki shows how cities are combining different technologies. Timo Aaltonen of energy company Helen Oy says the Finnish capital has added heat pumps, biomass burners and electric boilers to a 1,400km network serving almost 90% of buildings.
Electric boilers are less efficient than heat pumps but cheaper to install,” Mr Aaltonen says. “They also help absorb surplus renewable electricity and support grid stability,” the BBC notes
Germany’s shift
Germany is among the countries rapidly expanding large-scale heat pump capacity as it retires coal-fired heating.
Energy companies are repurposing former fossil fuel sites for electric heat generation, taking advantage of existing grid connections and district heating infrastructure, the BBC reports.
Advances in compressor technology, originally developed for the oil and gas industry, have helped make these large systems viable.
The result is a new generation of heat pumps designed to serve entire city districts rather than individual homes.
UK potential
The UK has yet to build heat pumps on the scale seen in Denmark or Germany, but smaller district heating projects are emerging. The Exeter Energy Network, for example, plans a minimum capacity of 12MW.
Keith Baker of Glasgow Caledonian University says Britain has untapped opportunities, particularly in post-industrial regions.
Water in disused mines, which maintains a stable temperature, is already being used to supply some larger heat pumps.
Such locations, he says, are “the sweet spots” for expanding the technology.
Sources:BBC
