Yesterday #Fortum, the local heating utility in Espoo, Finland, has shut down their last remaining coal plant at #Suomenoja.
One year ahead of schedule.
💪"Wrompa" has arrived: 🇵🇱 Poland's largest heat pump: once operational, it will be able to transfer 12.5 MW of heat from wastewater to the district heating system (which is currently 100% coal-based)
This new 11 MW(th) Air-Water #HeatPump in Vermo, Espoo is the largest of it's kind in #Finland and a first step to 100MW Air-Source HPs on the #Fortum#DistrictHeating network in Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi.
It was built last year next to a 160 MW oil-fired peak boiler. This week temperatures plunge below the design temperature -15°C of the #ASHP, so the peak boiler takes over. Luckily only for few days annually, and using bio-oil. #SectorCoupling#Wärmewende
@nemobis I have also wondered why Fortum is unwilling to build large ground source heat pumps for #districtHeating. Perhaps they are still experimenting, and air-source HPs are both cheaper to procure and easier to relocate if necessary. #Lippulaiva shopping mall already has 4MW GSHP, so perhaps they consider it to be more potent competition to their district heat and generally oppose such development.
Also, Fortum is not building seasonal heat storage like Helen and Vantaan Energia #VECTES.
You may already be ready for your second cup of coffee in the morning - and you probably get it from a thermos. The efficient principle of brewing coffee once and enjoying it for longer is also widely applicable to district heating.
📷: Thermal storage being built for the #districtheating system of the Utrecht region in the Netherlands.