Danish OEM Fenagy will deliver a 3.3MW (938TR) CO2 (R744) heat pump to Danish district heating provider Sdr. Felding Varmeværk at a value of 20 million Swedish kronor (US$2.3 million), according to a statement from Beijer Ref, part owner of Fenagy.
The new heat pump is large enough that it will “almost” cover peak load at the plant, which is “a bit unique,” Fenagy told R744.com. The project at Sdr. Felding also includes a 10MW electric boiler and a new accumulation tank for energy storage.
The system chosen by Sdr. Felding consists of two air-to-water H1800-AW heat pumps, each with a 1.65MW (469TR) capacity at 0°C (32°F) ambient temperature. These heat pumps are the largest model in Fenagy’s current product portfolio. Danish contractor Krebs A/S will be responsible for the installation.
The agreement represents the largest single order in the young company’s history. Fenagy started operations in the summer on 2020. Just a few months later, in November 2020, Swedish wholesaler Beijer Ref invested in the company, which allowed it to focus on growing its business developing customized R744 heat pumps and industrial refrigeration solutions. The main market is currently Scandinavia, later to be followed by the U.K., France, Benelux, Germany and Poland.
“We are very happy and proud of Fenagy,” said Christopher Norbye, CEO of Beijer Ref. “This agreement is proof that they have both competitive and efficient heat pumps.”
“At the same time, we can see that the market for environmentally friendly heat pumps is opening up in other European countries, where they also encourage a green transition,” Norbye added. “Fenagy is a company with great potential and their product range of industrial CO2 heat pumps is a good complement to our OEM offering.”
“We can see that the market for environmentally friendly heat pumps is opening up in other European countries, where they also encourage a green transition”
Christopher Norbye, Beijer Ref
Supporting flexible energy markets
Discussing why Sdr. Felding had chosen such a large-capacity solution, Fenagy explained that the board of the plant is anticipating a future where, to a greater extent than today, they will have to use green power when it is in surplus – and thus cheap – and conversely have enough energy stored in the accumulation tank, so they won’t consume power when the grid is in deficit, and the power is expensive.
“In addition to being a good idea for the heating plant, Sdr. Felding will also help solve the biggest societal problem we currently have around electrification of our energy consumption, by storing green electricity and adjust[ing] the electricity consumption to suit the fluctuating production from renewable energy sources,” Fenagy noted.
A topic in the power industry is whether a heat pump is a “basic load” machine, or whether it can, and should be, dimensioned to contribute to regulation of the power markets, Fenagy said. “With this investment, Sdr. Felding shows that heat pumps must be large and flexible so that they can be included in regulating the power market.”
These considerations contributed to the district heating provider’s choice of a Fenagy CO2 heat pump, which, among other things, “has been developed to be able to start and stop quickly,” the manufacturer said.
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