By Nikolaus J. Kurmayer | Euractiv
Aug 28, 2024
Helsinki's district heating will soon be powered by a high-powered heat pump produced by a German company. [Shutterstock/Yingna Cai]
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The large air-water heat pump to be supplied by Germany will help put the Finnish capital on track to achieve its 2030 climate neutrality goal.
Finland is betting on extremely large heat pumps to warm urban homes. From 2026, the utility company Helen Oy will use the world’s largest air-to-water heat pump to decarbonise its district heating power plant in Helsinki.
“We are very proud to support Helen in achieving climate neutrality in Helsinki,” said Uwe Lauber, CEO of German firm MAN Energy Solutions, in a statement. His company will supply the 33 MW heat pump that will use air from its surroundings to generate usable heat.
The refrigerant used within the heat pump is CO2 which, if it leaks into the atmosphere, is still significantly more climate-friendly than other alternatives currently being phased out by the EU.
In addition, the device will be combined with two massive 50 MW boilers, which will supply heat even in temperatures as low as -20 °C and save 56 tonnes of CO2 per year, according to the company.
There were initial concerns that Helsinki’s push for ‘climate-neutral’ heat might rely on wood-burning, a practice harmful to forests and human lungs.
After all, Finland is one of the EU’s most enthusiastic burners of wood. Up to 20% of detached homes in the country rely on wood for heat, and even 90% of new buildings come with a wood-burning stove.
However, a 2021 contest for the best clean heating solution for the city ruled out biomass as a solution and put fears to rest.
Finland is also one of the EU’s forerunners in adopting smaller heat pumps in individual homes – almost 1.5 million devices have been installed in a country of just under 6 million inhabitants.
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