Johnson Controls, the globally renowned company for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, has announced that it has commissioned a new heat pump installation that will support European energy company, Vattenfall (Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG), in its goal to eliminate carbon emissions from its heating and power generation facilities, by 2050.
Heat pumps
Heat pumps are seen as a crucial technology in the European Union’s plans for a sustainable, low-carbon economy, as set out in its Green Deal, and with energy prices at an all-time high, their ability to deliver heating and cooling without the need for more natural gas is now absolutely critical.
Heat pumps are a core technology enabling Europe to meet its essential REPowerEU plan
Moreover, heat pumps are a core technology enabling Europe to meet its essential REPowerEU plan, including the aim of installing 50 million units across the bloc by 2030.
Sabroe heat pump technology
Johnson Controls Industrial Refrigeration business deployed its proven Sabroe heat pump technology with a 700 kW heating capacity at Vattenfall Europe Wärme AG’s Berlin-Buch combined heat and power (CHP) plant, located in Berlin, Germany.
The CHP plant currently uses a heat recovery boiler, in order to capture waste heat from an existing gas turbine, so as to generate heat for the local district heating network.
Berlin-Buch CHP plant’s district heating capacity enhanced
The addition of the heat pump will boost the plant’s district heating capacity, without burning any additional fossil fuel, thus contributing to energy security and avoiding the production of about 620 tons/year of carbon dioxide emissions.
In Berlin, Germany, Vattenfall operates the largest urban heating network in Western Europe, with around 1.3 million connected residential units. A total of 2,000 kilometers of pipelines supplies the connected properties with 80 to 135°C hot water, which provides heating and hot water to connected residences.
Buch island network
This project puts the power of heat pumps to work to meet energy needs, while cutting waste, emissions and costs"
The Buch island network in the north of Berlin supplies a total of around 10,000 apartments and 500 individual facilities, such as schools or clinics with climate-friendly heat.
Dave Dorney, the Vice President & General Manager - Industrial Refrigeration at Johnson Controls, said “This project puts the power of heat pumps to work to meet energy needs, while cutting waste, emissions and costs. Importantly, heat pumps deliver required heating without the need for additional gas supplies.”
Energy transition
Dave Dorney adds, “We are proud to be part of the energy transition here in Germany and this project gives us the opportunity to put our large heat pumps to work and provide energy, environmental and security solutions.”
Germany is in the midst of an energy transition, named Energiewende that will see an increase in renewables and the reduction of fossil fuels, as it aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The government has said coal fired power generation will be phased out by 2038.
Vattenfall’s CO2 reduction roadmap
Vattenfall’s own CO2 roadmap will see it completely phase out coal in its heat portfolio by 2030, in support of national targets.
Andreas Heuer, the Asset-Manager - dezentrale Anlagen at Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG, said “The new heat pump installation at Berlin-Buch is part of our goal to enable fossil-free living in one generation, while still delivering on our customers' expectations for the supply of affordable electricity and heat in the city of Berlin. We are proud to be part of the pioneering effort to roll-out heat pumps across Germany's energy sector.”
Decarbonizing buildings
The company is helping meet the growing demand for energy efficient technologies
Following commissioning, the plant is now meeting its performance guarantees. Johnson Controls is regarded as the cutting edge, when it comes to the technology needed to decarbonize buildings.
The company is helping meet the growing demand for energy efficient technologies and has innovative building management solutions, such as VAV HVAC systems, together with its most advanced energy efficient heat pumps.
Johnson Controls’ solutions powered by OpenBlue
Johnson Controls portfolio of services and solutions, powered by OpenBlue, can also drive significant improvement in energy efficiency and corresponding carbon emissions reduction.
Katie McGinty, the Vice President & Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer at Johnson Controls, said “Cutting carbon emissions from the use of fossil fuels in heating/cooling, whether for district heating, industrial processes, or in buildings, has to be a top priority, if we want to achieve a net-zero economy, in the fight against climate change.”
Heat pumps vital to cutting global CO2 emissions
Katie McGinty adds, “Heat pumps are vital, since they cut natural gas needs and bolster energy security, even as they enable us to take on the almost 40% of global CO2 emissions that come from buildings.”
Natural gas is the primary source of energy for building heating"
She further said, “Natural gas is the primary source of energy for building heating, so we are eagerly ramping up our production of heat pumps and other solutions, to meet the challenge of improved building efficiency and a net zero and secure energy future.”
First Movers Coalition
Both Vattenfall and Johnson Controls are the founding members of the First Movers Coalition. The coalition was launched at COP26 in Glasgow by the U.S. State Department and the World Economic Forum. Members of the coalition are committed to increasing the share of emerging technologies critical to the net-zero transition.
As a leader in the buildings space for more than 135 years, Johnson Controls has been a pioneer in sustainability. Among the earliest industrial companies to report emissions and pledge emission reductions, the company has made tremendous progress – reducing carbon emissions and energy intensity by more than 70 percent since 2002.
The company was recently named again to the World's Most Ethical Companies’ Honoree List and one of Corporate Knights’ global 100 most Sustainable Companies — number one in its industry sector.
