Huge heat pumps could be key to a green future

Research has identified heat pumps as the most effective means of reducing emissions. Many countries are planning to expand heat pumps and aim to reduce their carbon emissions in a very serious way. The Heat the Streats initiative is proposing to scale up and install giant heat pumps. This can meet the needs of cities or towns.

Before going into the details of the project, it will be useful to give some basic information. In this context, instead of burning any fuel, heat pumps allow the heat already present in the air, soil or water to be condensed and transferred to the house. In a way, it can be said to take the heat from one place and move it to another place. Heat pumps do this with incredible efficiency, converting 1 kilowatt (kW) of electricity into 3-5 kW of heat. So practically free.

Moreover, if the electricity source for heat pumps is renewable energy, heat pumps will not emit any emissions. The Heat the Streats project is being implemented in a pilot area in the UK, and almost half of the electricity supplied to the country’s grid comes from renewable sources. So the project has great potential for the UK’s net zero targets. According to the UK government’s climate advisory board, around a quarter of UK buildings will use heat pumps by 2030 and two quarters by 2050. Let’s also mention that the heating industry in the country accounts for one third of the emissions.

Giant heat pumps

Heat the Streats promises a whole new template for how heat pumps can work. The project requires the use of ground source heat pumps. Anyway, ground source heat pumps are more efficient than their air source counterparts because the ground has a constant temperature. However, this is more costly than other types because it requires excavation work – more drilling.

Heat the Streats takes the scale to a massive scale, using more than 200 boreholes reaching up to 100 meters from the street, rather than individual excavations for heat pumps. Heat pipes placed in these holes are paired with heat pumps in homes. As a result of the process, the heat pumps can heat up to about 50C. In fact, Heat the Streats presents the need for heating as a kind of broadband internet or water connection. To use the service in the infrastructure, it is enough to install the heat pump. Therefore, there is a serious decrease in the cost point in individual terms.

Ground source heat pumps provide all the heating and hot water needed by the house and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent. Heat the Streats also plans to install solar panels to power its heat pumps. Therefore, zero emissions will thus be achieved.

How will giant heat pumps be used in cities?

It’s relatively easy to install giant heat pumps in towns, in detached houses. Another Kensa project in Enfield, London aims to install ground source heat pumps in high-rise apartments. The firm aims to use parking lots for drilling.

As a result, giant heat pumps can be used as a source of regional heating, not individual heating, in suitable places and under appropriate conditions. Of course, this is not suitable for every city or house structure because moving the heat to the 15th floor will reduce efficiency. At this point, it is more appropriate to use individual heat pumps.