The rapid adoption of clean energy technologies and behavioral changes in the building sector, supported by innovation strategies, has the potential to significantly lower CO2 emissions by 2030 and pave the way to achieving the zero-carbon buildings stock targets, according to the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario. Heat pumps combined with energy storage or solar energy provide various options and opportunities to reach some of the most significant short- and long-term objectives for the building sector. The impact of smart controls and thermal and electric storage to transform heat pumps into a powerful source of flexibility has been inferred in the foreword of this issue.
Under the title “Look to the Nordic countries,” the column provides how the Nordic countries Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark experience being the European heat pump powerhouse with the highest heat pump sales per capita.
In the Heat Pumping Technologies news section, you can read a summary of the report from the side event “Innovation and policy measures to solve the heat challenge”. An excerpt from the release of the IEA report “Technology and innovation pathways for zero-carbon-ready buildings by 2030 – A strategic vision from the IEA Technology Collaboration Programmes” and a summary of “The Future of Heat Pumps and a special report in the IEA’s World Energy Outlook” series.
The topical and non-topical articles of this issue provide a platform to explore a strategic focus on Integrated and decentralized energy solutions through (i) the research development of heat pump systems that integrate local production, excess heat/cooling, storage, and consumption and (ii) smart integration of heat pumps into the energy systems.
Enjoy your reading!
