With a large air-water heat pump, the Finnish capital Helsinki will achieve its climate neutrality goal by 2030. The leading country in the installation of heat pumps is now also getting the largest pump in the world delivered from Germany.
Finland is relying on extremely large heat pumps to heat urban homes. The utility company Helen Oy will use the world’s largest air-water heat pump from 2026 to decarbonize its district heating plant in Helsinki.
“We are very proud to support Helen in achieving climate neutrality in Helsinki,” Uwe Lauber, CEO of German company MAN Energy Solutions, said in a statement. His company will supply the 33 MW heat pump, which uses air from the surrounding area to generate usable heat.
However, the heat pump uses CO2 as a coolant. But even if it escapes into the atmosphere, it is still significantly more climate-friendly than other heating alternatives that are currently being phased out by the EU.
In addition, the device will be combined with two massive 50 MW boilers that will provide heat even at temperatures of -20 °C and, according to the company, will save 56 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Initially, there were concerns that Helsinki’s ambition for “climate-neutral” heat might rely on the burning of wood, to the detriment of forests and human lungs.
Finally, Finland is one of the largest wood burners in the EU. Up to 20 percent of single-family homes in Finland are heated with wood, and as many as 90 percent of new buildings are equipped with a wood stove.
A Competition for the best clean heating solution for the city in 2021, however, ruled out biomass as a solution, thus allaying these fears as well.
Finland is also one of the EU pioneers in the introduction of smaller heat pumps in private households – almost 1.5 million devices were in a country with almost 6 million inhabitants installed.
[Bearbeitet von Donagh Cagney/Martina Monti]
