Entering the era of heat pumps / MIT’s scientific journal selects “Top 10 technologies”

Entering the era of heat pumps / MIT’s scientific journal selects “Top 10 technologies”

A scientific journal ,”MIT technology review” run by MIT selected heat pumps as one of the 10 technologies to change the world in 2024, expressed 2024 as entering the era of heat pumps. It emphasizes that CO2 emissions can be dramatically reduced by switching from equipment using fossil fuel to heat pumps with electricity derived from renewable energy.

The journal pointed out that already established technology of heat pump is showing all the signs of entering its golden age. It also noted that heat pump could significantly contribute to decarbonization in manufacturing, citing the rapid increase in demand due to the efforts to move away from Russian fossil fuels in Europe as well as the feasibility of high-temperature heating through technological developments. It emphasizes the possibilities of heat pumps to reduce the world’s CO2 emissions by 500 million tons in 2030. In order to achieve this, the number of installed heat pumps should be increased to approx. 600 million units, equivalent to approx. 20 % of the heating demand in the world ‘s buildings for the next 10 years.
On the other hand, it cited the challenges such as securing manufacturing capacity to meet the increased demand for heat pump equipment, and the development of a resilient power grid with sufficient strength to ensure stable supply of electricity required for operating heat pumps.