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Berlin asks anxious heat pump industry to produce 500,000 a year
(EurActiv, 30 Jun 2022) Hoping to achieve its 2024 target of producing 500,000 heat pumps a year, the German government is pushing the industry to make necessary investments amid fears it will end up like the solar panel industry.
Heat pumps, a pivotal technology to decarbonise space heating, are far from as prevalent as policymakers want. Various EU countries such as Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands have resorted to bans on traditional heating systems like gas boilers. Now, they seek to foster the production of heat pumps to have the volumes available to replace conventional fossil fuel heating.
“500,000 newly installed heat pumps per year from 2024 is a strong commitment and a strong signal that comes from today’s heat pump summit,” said Germany’s Robert Habeck, minister for economy and climate, on 29 June.
“From 01.01.2024, every newly installed heating system is to be powered by 65 per cent renewable energies if possible. This makes it clear that we also need more heat pumps quickly for this purpose, which is precisely what we are now tackling together,” he added.
The goal is clear: German households installed around 630,000 gas boilers alongside another 45,000 oil furnaces in 2021. In contrast, a mere 154,000 heat pumps were installed, with a record 28% increase yearly.
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EurActiv, 30 Jun 2022: Berlin asks anxious heat pump industry to produce 500,000 a year
