Climate-Neutral Heating

 

MAN Energy Solutions and RheinEnergie have signed a supply contract for Europe’s largest river-water heat pump. The heat-pump technology will be used at RheinEnergie’s Cologne-Niehl production site.

With a heat output of 150 MW, the heat-pump system will be the largest fluvial heat pump in Europe and will supply around 50,000 households in Cologne with climate-neutral district heating. The heat-pump solution from MAN Energy Solutions uses water from the Rhine as an energy source and works with a natural refrigerant in a closed circuit. Driven by electricity, the heat pump will use thermal energy from river water to heat the water in the district heating system to up to 230°F (110°C), thus meeting the requirements of the Cologne network.

“The heating market in Germany is a sleeping giant. It is estimated that 39 million tons of CO₂ [carbon dioxide] can be saved by decarbonizing district heating alone. Therefore, it is all the more important that there are bold pioneers in Germany, like RheinEnergie, that are taking the lead and acting,” said Uwe Lauber, chief executive officer (CEO) of MAN Energy Solutions. “The Cologne heat pump is a flagship project for all of Germany and impressively demonstrates the contribution this technology can make to climate-friendly heat supply. It is an example that will hopefully soon be followed by many other cities in Germany.”

With its investment, RheinEnergie is making a major contribution to the decarbonization of the largest district-heating network in Cologne, to which the German federal government and the European Union are contributing nearly US$110 million. This covers the entire city center, including the Deutz district on the right bank of the Rhine, characterized by high-density apartment buildings.

“We rely on heat-pump technology because it is proven, reliable, and highly efficient,” added RheinEnergie CEO Andreas Feicht. “Of itself, the plant would already be exemplary in terms of tapping the dormant energy-potential of Germany’s major rivers. But by choosing this location and the opportunity to combine it with facilities based on gas- and steam-turbine technology, we are creating an energy system of the future for Cologne’s center that balances sustainability and climate protection with security of supply and affordability. After all, the different systems and energy sources complement each other perfectly.”

Preparatory work is already underway on the construction site next to the Niehl harbour basin where water from the Rhine will be extracted to serve as the environmental energy source for the plant. The plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2027.