Cologne energy transition: largest heat pump in Europe for 50,000 households!

Cologne energy transition: largest heat pump in Europe for 50,000 households!

Köln-Niehl, Deutschland - in Cologne, the RheinEnergie gave the starting signal for one of the largest river water heat pumps in Europe. This important project, which is realized in Cologne-Niehl, is to heat 50,000 households in the future. With an extensive investment volume of 280 million euros, the heat pump will achieve an output of 150 megawatts and thus strive for an annual CO2 savings of around 100,000 tons. According to utopia.de , the commissioning is planned for 2027.

The heat pump is operated with a "natural" refrigerant and uses the average temperature of the Rhine of about 10 degrees Celsius to produce heating temperatures of up to 110 degrees Celsius. The water withdrawal is built by a consortium from Züblin and Strabag Environmental Technology, while the heat pump is built by MAN Energy Solutions. The project also receives funding of around 100 million euros from the state and the EU and is considered an important signal for Germany and Europe.

innovations in heat pump technology

This Mannheim heat pump also uses the river heat of the Rhine, withdrawing heat from the water and transferring to a coolant. It can generate heat at water temperatures of three degrees Celsius, but only achieves its maximum output at seven to eight degrees. Technical challenges, such as operation at extremely low temperatures, must also be taken into account. The MVV plans to implement the entire district heating generation from renewable energies by 2030, which is an important step towards sustainable energy supply.