Stadtwerke Münster has successfully commissioned its first large heat pump at the combined heat and power plant in the port. It generates thermal energy from the cooling water of the gas and steam turbine plant of the neighboring power station. Stadtwerke is thus taking an important step towards its goal of converting district heating generation in Münster to renewable heat sources. Stadtwerke Managing Director Sebastian Jurczyk explains: "The aim of our heating strategy is to gradually turn district heating into a green, ecological domestic product. To achieve this, we are using the opportunities and structures that the Münster location offers us.
Climate-neutral operation of the large heat pump
The heat pump itself does not require fossil fuels and is powered by certified green electricity with Grüner Strom-Label. The system has a thermal output of 2 MW and can generate around two percent of the total district heating. The technology at Münster's city port can save up to 4,000 tons of local CO2 emissions and cover the heating requirements of up to 800 households.
The temperatures achieved by the large heat pump are unique. No other model on the market achieves the temperatures of up to 120° Celsius currently required for Münster's district heating network.
District heating as a beacon of hope for the heat turnaround
Heating accounts for more than a third of CO2 emissions in Münster's households. "Green heat makes us less dependent on fossil fuels. Each individual building block advances the heat turnaround and climate protection in Münster," emphasizes Sebastian Jurczyk, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Münster.
One renewable heat source alone is not enough to cover the entire heat requirement. This is why the municipal utilities rely on a technology mix with large heat pumps, geothermal and solar thermal energy.
Supported by green electricity with Grüner Strom-Label
Part of the investment sum will come from funds from the Green Electricity Label. Energy providers that offer a certified electricity tariff, such as Stadtwerke Münster, support the expansion of renewable energies and innovative energy transition projects with a fixed amount per kilowatt hour consumed. The subsidy therefore also comes indirectly from the electricity customers of Stadtwerke Münster who purchase "MeinMünster:Strom".
Since 1999, a total of more than 1,600 energy transition projects, mainly in Germany, have been co-financed by the Grüner Strom-Label with over 85 million euros. Since this mostly involves partial funding of projects, the money actually invested is about 5.5 times higher. It is estimated that total investments of more than 500 million euros in Energiewende projects were triggered by co-financing with Green Electricity funding.