In operation: one of the largest air-to-water heat pump systems

27.11.2025

Source: E & M powernews

Getec and the SMS Group heat a 50,000 square meter site using heat pumps. Fossil fuels are no longer used.

After around a year of construction, the SMS Group has officially commissioned one of the largest air-to-water heat pump systems in Germany at its Hilchenbach site in North Rhine-Westphalia. In future, it will supply around 50,000 square meters of hall and office space as well as the canteen of the globally active plant and mechanical engineering company for the metal industry with sustainable heat. This corresponds to an area the size of around seven soccer pitches.

The energy service provider Getec connected the power-to-heat system to the grid. Four large air-to-water heat pumps with a thermal output of 3 MW are used. They extract thermal energy from the ambient air, even at sub-zero temperatures. "This energy is temporarily stored in a source storage tank before water-to-water heat pumps with a thermal output of 4 MW heat it up to 85 degrees Celsius," the company explained.

A buffer storage tank with a volume of 2,000 cubic meters ensures that sufficient heat is available even at peak times. At particularly low outside temperatures, additional thermal support is provided by a 4 MW electric boiler, which heats the water purely electrically to up to 95 degrees Celsius. The company thus completely dispenses with the fossil fuels previously used.

The intelligent control of the power-to-heat system is particularly emphasized. An AI-supported forecasting model adjusts operation depending on the weather and load so that the heat pumps run when electricity is cheap and a high proportion of renewable energy is available.

At the same time, the system stabilizes the power grid by storing surplus green electricity in the form of heat. This is expected to save around 6,000 tons of CO2 per year.

Getec from Magdeburg is fully responsible for financing, implementing and operating the plant. "The power-to-heat system in Hilchenbach shows how industrial decarbonization already works today - economically, modularly and completely without fossil energy," says Thomas Stephanblome, CEO of Getec Germany.

The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and, according to the company, is "an example of the decarbonization of industrial sites".

Author: Stefan Sagmeister