Green heating stands at the center of global efforts to cut down emissions and curb climate change. In this major transition, societies around the world are exploring alternatives to find the best option among green heating solutions: one that effectively mitigates CO2 emissions while also remaining cost-effective, resilient and viable overall.
As nearly two thirds of heating energy today still rely on fossil fuels and with space and water heating accounting for almost half of global energy use in buildings, the need for achieving green heating is extraordinarily pressing.
In this context, heat pumps stand out as a tried and tested option for eco-friendly heating systems. Free from combustion processes and able to efficiently incorporate renewable energy sources, this piece of equipment takes center stage among the most noteworthy green heating solutions.
All major associations pushing for decarbonizing heat are endorsing the introduction of increasing numbers of heat pumps. The IEA describes “heat pumps, powered by low-emissions electricity, are the central technology in the global transition to secure and sustainable heating”; and calculates they could reduce global CO2 emissions by 500 million metric tons in 2030 (the equivalent of emissions produced by all cars in Europe annually). Additionally, the EU regards heat pumps along the same lines, describing them as “key to enabling the clean energy transition and achieving the EU’s carbon neutrality goal by 2050”.
As such, heat pumps are poised to become the next big thing in green heating. A deep dive into their working principle and advantages showcases why.
Heat pumps: What they are and how do they work?
Definition and basic principles of operation
Heat pumps are devices in charge of extracting heat from a low temperature source and transferring it to a higher temperature one, following the Reversed Carnot Cycle.
This process is powered by a small amount of electric energy. This allows heat pumps to absorb energy from air, water or the ground and transfer it into a refrigerant fluid, which then releases heat in a designated area.
The working principle of heat pumps is reversible, meaning they can both provide green heating and cooling. With current models being 3-5 times more efficient than gas boilers, heat pumps have become an efficient, sustainable alternative, with sales increasing consistently in the last decade.
Types of heat pumps: Air, water, and geothermal
- Water heat pumps employ water resources as stable heat sources across the year, including lakes, rivers, seawater, aquifers as well as wastewater or cooling water from industrial systems and district heating systems
- Air heat pumps use diverse air resources as a source, including outside, indoor and exhaust air
- Geothermal heat pumps use energy from the ground or underground water, benefitting from the constant temperature values of these resources.
5 advantages of heat pumps as green heating systems
1. Energy efficiency
Heat pumps present outstanding efficiency levels, measured by both the COP (Coefficient of Performance) and SCOP (Seasonal Coefficient of Performance). While these values may vary depending on factors such as design quality, temperature differences between source and sink or the choice of working fluid, most heat pumps present COP values of between 3-5. In other words, for every unit of electricity they consume, they provide between 3-5 units of heat.
2. Emissions reduction
Heat pumps are also considered a green heating solution because they move away from combustion processes, which cause harmful emissions, and towards the electrification of heat. As mentioned in the Heat Pumps White Paper by the European Copper Institute, heat pumps are able to reduce carbon emissions by between 35-65% compared to gas boilers, with bigger reductions when compared to coal or oil boilers.
The choice of refrigerant and the right design can have a great impact in this regard, with a new wave of refrigerants taking over to reduce their Global Warming Potential.
3. A move away from fossil fuels and the incorporation of green energy sources
The capacity for heat pumps to incorporate renewable and clean energy sources is critical to understand their potential as eco-friendly heating systems.
Waste heat, heat recovery, seawater or groundwater are among the key sustainable, local and non-fuel heat sources that heat pumps are able to incorporate. This is further enhanced when pairing advanced heat pumps with 5th district heating generation, which is able to operate at lower temperatures and upgrade heat sources that were previously not available.
The result is heat pump-based green heating systems that operate based on 100% green electricity and thus offer emission-free heating and cooling.
This move away from fossil fuels and the versatile incorporation of various types of renewable sources is not only advantageous in environmental terms: it’s also crucial for achieving resilient, low-cost heat networks that rely on local resources and are less prone to disruptions related to global energy markets.
4. Economic savings
As part of a dedicated tailor-made plan and with applied thermal engineering expertise, heat pumps stand out as reliable, cost-efficient green heating solutions. Through economic modeling, different factors (from changing electricity costs, to available heat sources and carbon regulations) may be selected and compared to determine the best choice.
Exhaustive economic planning (with clear efficiency and performance goals based on maximizing benefits) also means projects stand a better chance when looking for the participation of public or private actors. As such, careful calculations around the best ROI and payback period can be crucial to guarantee economic savings.
5. Policy support
As the potential of heat pumps as green heating solutions is increasingly understood, policy support is growing quickly with the aim of fulfilling heat decarbonisation goals across the globe. Europe and North America are particularly important in leading the way to support heat pump initiatives via financial incentives and energy taxation benefits, among other measures.
Design criteria when implementing heat pumps as a green heating solution
- Efficiency must be at the forefront of design considerations, as COP and SCOP have a significant impact in operational costs and environmental consequences.
- Sustainability factors include mitigating the use of resources, integrating renewable energies and selecting an environmentally-friendly refrigerant.
- The economic study must integrate both technology choices and public and private incentives to ensure attractive ROI and the maximization of benefits.
- Integration flexibility should look at available energy sources and how to incorporate them efficiently while also building a resilient heat system.
- Compact design to reduce space requirements.
- Reliability and endurance as well as compliance with relevant international codes.
How heat pumps integrate into green heating solutions
Heat pumps can be understood as the heart of green heating solutions: through their versatile incorporation of clean renewable energy sources, they can act as the main distribution center of a combustion-free heating system.
There are many ways in which heat pumps can be incorporated into decarbonized district heating grids. They can replace oil and gas boilers in existing buildings to provide both space heating and water heating. Further efficiencies can be achieved when making the most of the heat pump’s capacities for providing both heating and cooling (almost duplicating the system’s total efficiency); or when integrating heat pumps as part of heating systems for air-sealed, energy-efficient buildings.
Additionally, the merging of heat pumps, district heating systems and TES (Thermal Energy Storage) solutions has been hailed as an extremely efficient combination that paints the picture of what green heating can look like today and in the coming years.
On the one hand, the convergence of heat pumps and district heating results in a number of additional benefits, including added resilience, the application of circular economy models and the minimization of the system’s CO2 footprint. Meanwhile, TES technologies reduce demand and optimize efficiency by storing thermal energy during off-peak hours, when electricity prices are lower.
In this context, alliance with the right heat pump provider can make a difference. At ARANER, we put our thermal engineering expertise in service of advancing green heating solutions across the globe. Through comprehensive, tailor-made concept analysis, design and implementation, we’re able to offer the best green heating solution for each project, incorporating the project’s needs, potential and limitations into the equation to deliver ad hoc solutions.
To learn more about our work and how we can help you elevate your green heating project, take a look at some of our key case studies such as the Ayla Oasis Resort project and the Abdali District Energy case study; discover our industrial heat pump solutions or get in touch with our team to learn more about how we can help you achieve green heating that is both cost-efficient and sustainable.
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