Swiss clean tech startup ExerGo has won the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA)’s Heat Pump City of the Year Award for its CO2 (R744)-based thermal energy network in Sion, Switzerland.
According to ExerGo, this is the world’s first energy network that is using CO2 as a heat transfer fluid instead of water.
Dr Alberto Mian, CEO of ExerGo, was presented the award by Enrique Vilatmitjana, Managing Director of Panasonic Heating and Cooling Solutions Europe, at EHPA’s annual Heat Pump Awards ceremony on September 28 in Brussels.
The awards are designed to recognize the “remarkable progress and relentless innovation driving the heat pump industry forward,” explained EHPA.
“It is a great honor for ExerGo to receive the prestigious Heat Pump City of The Year Award from the European Heat Pump Association,” said Mian. “This prize is an important milestone towards the recognition of our technology, the CO2 thermal network, as an efficient and ready-to-scale solution to decarbonize cities all around the world.”
“This prize is an important milestone towards the recognition of our technology, the CO2 thermal network, as an efficient and ready-to-scale solution to decarbonize cities all around the world.”
Dr Alberto Mian, ExerGo
Reducing energy use, costs and emissions
ExerGo’s pilot CO2 system was commissioned in March 2022 at the Energypolis Campus of HES-SO University of Applied Sciences. To date, it has provided 1,200MWh of simultaneous heating and cooling for three multistory buildings on the university campus.
“The CO2 network offers a sustainable, affordable and efficient heating and cooling solution to combat today’s energy crisis and climate change,” explained ExerGo. “With our patented CO2 network, we are committed to help companies and their end-users save energy, costs and emissions.”
Thanks to the higher energy density of CO2 compared to water, the system can use smaller, flexible pipes, which can save up to 60% in piping and roadwork costs, explains the startup on its website. The network can also reduce primary energy use by up to 80% compared to traditional fossil fuel-based systems, it added.
In addition to providing heating and cooling at the university, the network has been accessible to those interested in learning more about sustainable heating and cooling technologies.
Following the success of its pilot project, ExerGo has said that it has won its first tender with a Swiss utility provider and is conducting multiple feasibility studies with other regional utilities. The startup has also said that it has attracted interest from organizations across Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia.
“My deepest gratitude goes to my team, our investors and Sion pilot project partners who contributed to boost our development and commercialization,” said Mian.
13th EHPA Heat Pump Awards
This year marked the 13th edition of the awards, which took place during EHPA’s annual Heat Pump Forum.
In addition to the Heat Pump City of the Year Award, the EHPA presented four other awards: Decarbuilding – which celebrates the use of heat pumps in the building sector; Decarbindustry – which celebrates the use of heat pumps in industrial applications; Lighthouse Heat Hump – which recognizes innovation and creativity in the sector; and People’s Choice – which acknowledges the most popular heat pump project based on public votes.
According to the EHPA, it received more than 40 submissions from organizations around the world, “each offering a unique perspective on how heat pumps play a vital role in our journey towards decarbonization.”
“We extend our gratitude to all the participants who submitted their remarkable projects, to the jury of experts that assessed the submissions and to the public that enthusiastically casted their votes to determine the People’s Choice Award winner,” it added.
