ABB has announced it will provide integrated electrical infrastructure for the construction of a 50 MW seawater heat pump in the port city of Esbjerg, Denmark.
The heat pump will be provided by Germany-based MAN Energy Solutions SE and will be powered by wind farms located nearby.
The electro-thermal energy storage (ETES) heat pump is a large scale ‘trigeneration’ facility for the simultaneous storage, use, and distribution of electricity, heat, and cold.
The system uses electricity to produce thermal energy that can then be used for heating or cooling or reconverted into electricity. It has an electrical input and output ranging from 2 to 50 MW and its storage capacity ranges from 10 to several hundred MWh.
Through this heat pump technology, electricity, heat, and cooling are no longer treated separately but become part of an overarching energy management system.
In the process, ETES functions as a bridge between the electricity-supply and heating and cooling supply markets.
Stored cooling and heat from ETES can be distributed to different types of consumers.
For instance, heat can be transferred to district heating, the food processing industry and laundry facilities. Applications for cooling, meanwhile, include data centres, ice hockey or skating arenas, and air conditioning for skyscrapers.
Per Erik Holsten, head of energy industries for Northern Europe ABB, said: “At ABB, we embed sustainability in everything we do to enable energy efficient, low carbon operations and support the development of new and renewable energy models, so this project to transform the global district heating system and provide a greener solution for the residents of Esbjerg is a particularly exciting one for us.”
Jesper Frost Rasmussen, Mayor of Esbjerg, said: “Esbjerg has been viewed as an ‘energymetropolis’ on account of its significant, hydrocarbon sector. However, for the past decade, Esbjerg has become the European market leader within offshore wind, building on over fifty years of experience with offshore oil and gas.
“Consequently, energy transition has the highest priority, and our stated ambition is to become carbon-neutral by 2030, ultimately making Esbjerg a sustainable energymetropolis in the process.
“This ETES project will enable us to make the quantum leap from fossil to green energy through exploiting our vast resources of offshore wind renewables. It’s a trailblazing project for how the green transition can be executed and I’m proud that Esbjerg is a global frontrunner in this instance.”
Image: ABB
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