Hofor invests 3 billion kroner in renewable energy heat pumps for district heating in Copenhagen

In the coming years, district heating for over 130,000 apartments in the Danish capital will be generated using renewable energy. This transition will be facilitated by large heat pumps, into which the city’s utility company, Hofor, is investing approximately 3 billion Danish kroner. The first of ten heat pumps is now in operation.

This investment is aimed at making the heat supply more electric and sourcing it from green energy generated by solar and wind, according to Gorm Elikofer, Hofor’s Energy Director. Experts believe this is a crucial step forward. Marie Münster, a professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and a member of the Climate Council, praised the initiative, stating it is essential for reducing CO2 emissions from the district heating sector and minimizing biomass consumption.

Currently, district heating is partly produced by burning biomass, such as wood chips, which leads to CO2 emissions. However, this can be mitigated with the use of heat pumps. They operate by drawing in, for example, seawater or wastewater at one end. Inside the pump, heat is extracted and further heated using electricity generated from solar panels or wind turbines. The heat is then channeled to the other end of the pump and distributed to radiators.

Elikofer highlighted the efficiency of heat pumps, stating that each kilowatt-hour of electricity input yields a significant amount of heat energy output. Hofor anticipates that these pumps could reduce biomass consumption by 30-35%. Given Denmark’s relatively high reliance on biomass—approximately 70% of district heating in the capital comes from this source—investments in alternative heating solutions are increasingly necessary.