The Viessmann Group, the heating, cooling and air-conditioning technology specialist, generated a turnover of around 2.2 billion euros in 2014. That equates to a 4 per cent increase over the previous year, despite the European heating market shrinking by 3 per cent. Viessmann’s export markets accounted for 56 per cent of sales. R&D expenditure remained unchanged at 4 per cent of turnover; a 90 million euro investment.
At ISH Energy 2015, the leading trade fair for the industry, in Frankfurt, Germany, Prof. Martin Viessmann, the company's CEO and President of the Supervisory Board, championed the leading role of the heating industry in relation to energy consumption, framing Viessmann’s technological approaches:
Accounting for 40 per cent of energy consumption, heating is the largest primary source of consumption and its current systems are mostly outdated. While the journey to sustainable energy has so far been viewed as purely a transition from traditional to renewable energy sources, 'It should be apparent by now that the sustainable energy era can only succeed if energy efficiency is also significantly increased,” he said. “The heating market therefore holds the key to the success of the sustainable energy era', says Prof. Dr. Martin Viessmann.
The heating market offers solutions for renewable power storage, compensating for the fluctuation in its generation. Viessmann presents two opportunities: “Power-to-gas” and “Power to heat.”
Viessmann’s 'power-to-gas' system transforms power from renewable energy into hydrogen by means of electrolysis and then into synthetic methane by adding CO2. It can be stored, transported by the nationwide gas network, and utilised as energy. Viessmann has put into operation the first, industrial scale power-to-gas facility of its kind at its headquarters in Allendorf (Germany). Using biological methanation, the process employs highly specialised bacteria to transform the CO2 resulting from the AD fermentation process and the hydrogen into methane (CH4), which is then fed into the natural gas grid. Viessmann is also close to a cooperation with a major auto manufacturer in regard to utilising this 'renewable methane' as an alternative fuel.
'Power-to-heat' involves decentralised, short-term storage in buildings that have heat pumps installed. The heat pumps can be switched on when power is cheap regardless of the demand for heat at that moment. The power is transformed into heat highly efficiently using environmental energy, then stockpiled in the buffer cylinder, and subsequently used for heating purposes. Diurnal fluctuations in the power supply can be compensated in this manner.
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