GEA raising the bar for sustainable heating and cooling solutions
13 Oct 2021
As our planet gets hotter, companies all over the world are craving better ways to reduce their carbon footprint and optimize their energy efficiency. At GEA, we can help our customers achieve just that because we’re in the privileged position of being able to develop sustainable cooling and heating solutions under one roof. By renaming and reshaping our Refrigeration Technologies division to GEA Heating & Refrigeration Technologies, we’ve empowered our teams of experts to contribute more than ever before. This is how we put “engineering for a better world” into practice.
Raising the bar #1: better heat pumps
Heat accounts for more than half of the global total final energy consumption. Despite best efforts, today it is still mainly produced using fossil fuels. If we are to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, we need a real game changer. When it comes to decarbonizing heat, heat pump technology with its proven track record is just that. Using heat pumps to cool our warming planet makes a lot of sense.
In that respect, we at GEA focus on extending the heat pump portfolio providing higher temperatures, which is exactly what’s required for process heating in food and beverage production and district heating networks. Thanks to our strong in-house R&D, we constantly have technology leading products in the pipeline. We will soon be launching an extended product portfolio, with special emphasis on higher efficiency and reliability heat pumps based on a new line-up of high-pressure compressors. This will enable our customers to achieve higher supply temperatures for their processes than ever before.
GEA Red Heat Pumps
Raising the bar #2: better use of data
Automation and digitalization are key elements in our climate strategy. Many of the new products that we will be launching as we go forward will benefit from data generated within our own organization and throughout the entire lifecycle of our equipment and solutions. By carefully analyzing these data, we gain insights that enable us to give our customers the best possible advice on how to further reduce energy consumption in and increase availability of their production plants. Better use of data ensures that our customers gain more speed on their road to decarbonization.
Raising the bar #3: better access to sustainable technology
As a technology leader, GEA is committed to driving change in the market. That’s why we’ve recently launched a multi-million-euro investment in the extension of our test centers throughout Europe.
Thomas Strotkoetter, Head of the Compression Technologies Business Unit, says: “Thanks to our extended testing facilities, our customers will have easier access to the latest heat pump technology and will be even more motivated to opt for the right sustainable solution for their applications.”
Raising the bar #4: better integration of heating and cooling
In applications such as food, beverage and dairy processing, products are usually heated up and then refrigerated. In seeking a sustainable approach, we felt that bringing cooling and heating together was the logical thing to do. A circular approach offers many advantages: it enables our customers to reduce and reuse as much energy as possible. Low-grade waste heat will be upcycled efficiently for all required processes.
Kai Becker, CEO of GEA Heating & Refrigeration Technologies, says: “Our integrated cooling and heating solutions represent a real blueprint for converting heating operations from conventional to carbon-neutral in the food processing industry and in district heating networks, since the required heat is generated by largely reusing waste heat.
“At GEA, we strongly believe that collaboration and innovation are of the essence to remain at the forefront in tackling the climate challenges that lie ahead. That’s why we bring our wealth of in-house expertise in cooling and heating closer together, and that’s why we’re now renaming our refrigeration technologies division to GEA Heating & Refrigeration Technologies.”
GEA Integrated Refrigeration and Heating Plant
Raising the bar #5: accelerated decarbonization transition
Time is running out for the world to change its ways if it is to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. By providing the most sustainable heating and cooling solutions and by minimizing our customers’ carbon footprint as well as our own, GEA is tackling one aspect of climate change head-on.
Kai Becker adds: “Being part of the GEA Group allows us to go even further. Combining our first-class products and solutions in cooling and heating in co-developments with GEA process experts, with customers and external partners leads to more sustainable and fully integrated applications. GEA has the knowledge, the technology and the ability to successfully implement innovative projects that enable customers to build green factories that comply with current and future emission targets.”
The NEXUS initiative is an excellent example of our drive to ensure sustainable solutions for our customers worldwide. GEA’s Holistic Engineering Solutions (NEXUS) can revolutionize the integration of processes and utilities (cooling and heating) to force down energy consumption, reduce carbon footprint and slash total cost of ownership across multiple food industry sectors.
We’re raising the bar for fully decarbonized food, beverage and dairy processing.
We’re raising the bar for ourselves, our customers and our partners.
We’re raising the bar to protect our planet for future generations.
Will you join us?
Sustainable Engineering
