High Temperature Heat Pump “AGO Calora” – Key Technology for the Energy Transition

Kulmbach, 08.07.2021:

Efficient large heat pumps operated with renewable electricity are a promising solution for decarbonising industrial and municipal heat supply. In 2018, about 20 percent of the total final energy demand in Germany for process heat was applied and a similar proportion for building heating. Most of this heat is still generated by burning fossil fuels.

As a result of the exit from coal energization, by 2038 more than 13 GW of thermal power will fall away for the provision of heat in district heating networks and must be replaced climate-neutrally. Due to the lack of natural heat resources (geothermy and solar thermal energy) in most regions of Germany and the limited expansion potential of biogas and biomass plants, a large part of them will have to be covered by large and industrial heat pumps.

The AGO Calora is the world's first high-temperature heat pump, which can supply heat at a temperature of up to 140°C on an industrial scale of 0.5-10 MW exclusively based on natural working media. The heat pump was integrated into the BMWi research project funded by public funds from the company AGO GmbH Energie + Anlagen developed in cooperation with the Stadtwerken Neuburg a.d. Donau. The heat pump enables the Stadtwerken Neuburg a. d. Donau in future, which so far mainly operated in the winter months CHPto operate all year round. For the engine cooling heat of CHP, which accumulates at about 80° C., there has been sufficient potential for use in the winter months with heat requirements of the barracks and Audi. With the help of the new heat pump, this about 1 MW low-temperature heat now becomes a higher hot water temperature level of 120 °C to max. 140 °C and fed into the hot water network for supplying malting. The heat pump thus allows the year-round operation of the CHPs, which now provides electricity and high temperature heat significantly more efficiently than the separate generation of current and high temperature heat.
AGO Calora heat pumps can be used in a large temperature and power range and are therefore suitable for a variety of different applications for heat recovery as well as industrial and municipal heat generation.

Further information: AGO Calora

Further information

Article Neuburger Kurier, 08.07.2021
Article Stadt Neuirburg, 08.07.2021

Stadtwerke Neuburg AGO-Calora high temperature heat pump. Here is a post by TV Ingolstadt: