Comfort heating accounts for approximately 50% of the world’s energy consumption — mainly from burning gas, oil, and coal. This will have to change and GEA is ready to deliver the renewable heating solution for the future.
District heating
Today, district heating already plays a major role in supplying comfort heating and hot water to households, universities, and hospitals across the world:
- Approximately 13% of Europe’s heat demand is met by district heating
- Approximately 30% of Northern China’s domestic heat demand is met by district heating
- Less than 2% of North America’s heat demand is met by district heating
- Approximately 17% of South Korean households are connected to district heating
Across all regions, there are targets to increase the amount of energy distributed through district heating systems by 100–200% over the coming decades.
Why heat pumps for district heating?
District heating has traditionally been used to distribute harnessed waste heat from electricity production, improving efficiency from around 40% to 80%. But why stop there, when heat pumps can deliver efficiencies of 300–800%?
Heat is distributed through insulated pipes to meet residential and commercial needs and can be sourced from boilers, geothermal energy, cogeneration, biomass, or waste incineration.
As many cities shift to low-carbon solutions, heat pumps are becoming a cornerstone technology on this journey. Used alone or in combination with other low-carbon heating technologies, heat pumps enhance efficiency and reduce carbon emissions — delivering sustainable heat with maximum performance.
How do heat pumps work?
A GEA heat pump upgrades readily available heat source — i.e. air, water, geothermal, and waste heat—into valuable energy. Using a natural refrigerant, it efficiently reaches temperatures up to 90°C for district heating, hot water, process heating, or steam. The cycle repeats seamlessly, cutting energy costs and boosting efficiency.
Boost your energy efficiency from 80% to 400%
Yep — that’s right. For AS Utilitas Tallinn, GEA delivered a substantial boost in energy efficiency — up to an astounding 400%.
No less than 24 megawatts are supplied by GEA’s heat pumps. And because their low electricity consumption is powered by renewable energy, the solution leaves a carbon footprint of zero — saving 20,000 tons of CO₂ emissions per year.
Heat is everywhere
In many district heating networks today, heat is obtained from various sources, including heat-only boiler stations and cogeneration plants that burn fossil fuels, biomass, or waste. A smart move is to look around at the heat that’s already available — and free.
Just imagine the waste heat from a data center cooling hundreds of servers. Or the warm water in an old, flooded mine. What about capturing heat from underground subway tunnels?
Heat is everywhere — ready for you to harness.
Smart cities use smart grids
Municipalities and energy companies are striving for low-carbon energy while facing growing demands from an ever-expanding population. Switching to a system that relies on electricity instead of fossil fuels is an obvious win.
However, that transition — along with the rising number of electric vehicle — could increase total electricity demand by up to 200%, pushing the existing grid beyond its capacity.
GEA heat pumps adjust to available capacity and prioritize the most cost-effective option. They can turn on or off, ramp load up or down, and adapt to any scenario. They even optimize operation based on when electricity is cheapest or supply is limited.
Smart, right?
A proven skillset ready to support many applications
GEA’s district heating solutions build on its long and proven history as a global leader in industrial refrigeration, where compression serves as the core technology.
District heating applications rely on this core expertise. Other industries benefiting from GEA’s technology and sustainability values include food, beverage, dairy, chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, natural gas, and marine.
GEA RedAstrum 热泵用于区域供热系统以及工业过程。
Aurivo委托GEA建立可持续发展的液体牛奶设施
爱尔兰第二大液体牛奶加工商利用GEA的集成式牛奶加工以及制冷和热泵系统，将其Killygordon场地的二氧化碳排放量减少了80%。
GEA热泵将伦敦地铁的废热提升，为住宅、两个休闲中心和伊斯灵顿区的一所学校供暖
革命性的Bunhill 2能源中心——世界上首个此类中心——为伦敦和世界各地潜在的未来计划中的热量脱碳提供了蓝图，减少供暖费用和碳排放，同时改善空气质量，并使各大城市在能源方面更加自给自足。
GEA为Wipasz的新家禽加工厂提供可持续发展的制冷和供热解决方案
GEA制冷技术公司已完成了一项耗资数百万欧元的项目，该项目在Wipasz位于波兰Międzyrzec Podlaski的新绿地设施中安装了集成式制冷和热泵系统，这是欧洲自动化程度最高，最可持续发展的家禽加工厂之一。
GEA 正在深入研究利用热泵解决方案从矿井水中生产清洁能源
GEA 的热泵对于盖茨黑德矿井水计划至关重要，该计划是全国同类计划中规模最大的，致力于通过区域供暖脱碳来应对气候变化。
产品与技术
显示 4 个，共 11 个
GEA Grasso Maintenance Monitor (GMM)
First class electronic monitoring based on proven developments.
GEA Omni Control Panel
The intuitive touch for machine control technology.
GEA Blu-Red Fusion
GEA 推出了一项创新，在单一产品中实现高效的冷热联供。新的 GEA Blu-Red Fusion 是成功的 GEA Blu 制冷机（低级）和 GEA Red 热泵（高级）的组合。
GEA Omni Control Panel for Complete System Control
The GEA Omni control panel is customizable for complete system control — an all-inclusive command center that controls the entire refrigeration system from one panel.
We aim to sustain
Being future-proof goes beyond product life cycles and efficiency. In all aspects of our business, we support our company’s maxim: Engineering for a better world. We are driven by a passion for delivering solutions that reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints.
Furthermore, GEA’s commitment to sustainability includes using the most efficient heat pump technology with natural refrigerants such as ammonia (NH₃), which has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 0.
GEA’s approach to district heating aligns perfectly with our commitment to our customers and our planet.
Downloads
相关视频
GEA RedGenium Heat Pump On the Move
Heat pumps for decarbonizing process and district heating
