Heat pump revolution: Germany is fighting bureaucratic hurdles!

Heat pump revolution: Germany is fighting bureaucratic hurdles!

In the slipstream of international developments in the field of renewable energies, Germany looks at a challenging path to climate neutrality, which is to be reached by 2045. Unfortunately, progress in the areas of buildings and traffic have so far been behind the ambitious destinations. This is confirmed by the Federal Association of Heat Pump (BWP), which sees great potential for heat pump systems, but also indicates the numerous hurdles that need to be overcome. Martin Sabel, Managing Director of the BWP, emphasizes that many projects are at risk due to inconsistent and long approval processes. These delays could lead to the cancellation of many projects, which further endangered the achievement of the climate goals. [az-online.de] (https://www.az-online.de/wirtschaft/nachbarlaender-mit-waermePumpen-boom-Deutschland-Hat-Wert-Verloren-ZR-93788542.html) reported that large-scale heat pumps could be used in particular for district heating networks, whereby river water serves as a heat source.

While Germany still catches up in this area, Denmark shows how it can be better. With 178 large heat pumps that perform over 580 megawatts, Denmark is above the triple of German capacity. An outstanding example is a sea water heat pump in Esbjerg, which replaces a coal-fired power plant and supplies over 100,000 people with heat. In Germany, on the other hand, the installed thermal output of large heat pumps is only about 180 megawatts. Currently, 71 projects with a total capacity of around 900 megawatts are being planned or under construction - more than 700 megawatts are also promised. Sabel calls for a reliable framework and more funds for the federal funding of efficient heating networks.

new momentum through changes in the law

In order to counteract the stagnant development, the Federal Government has decided a number of changes in the law to accelerate approval procedures for geothermal systems, heat pumps and heat storage. The draft law was recently treated in a public hearing and experts were positive about the government's efforts. The Federal Minister of Economics and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, emphasized the potential of geothermal energy, which was to play a central role as a climate -neutral, inexhaustible source of energy in Germany. bundesag.de reports that less than 2% of the heat from geothermal and environmental heat is obtained, but the proportion of renewable energies in space is below 20%.

The planned changes in the law aim to significantly shorten the procedural times through digitization, shortened deadlines and reduced requirements. A central point is the introduction of maximum periods for approval procedures in mountain law to work within a year. At the same time, the bureaucracy for small projects such as groundwater heat pumps should be significantly reduced, so that they only have to be displayed in the future. bmwk.de emphasizes that these measures are part of the Federal Government's growth initiative.

The way forward