Heat supply for the Emden-Borssum outdoor pool
Combination of solar absorbers and heat pump
On May 16, 2002, the largest thermal solar system in Lower Saxony was officially inaugurated in the municipal outdoor pool in Emden-Borssum by the mayor of Emden, Alwin Brinkmann, and the managing director of Stadtwerke Emden GmbH, Remmer Edzards. The outdoor pool's outdated and dilapidated heating system made it unavoidable to develop a new heat supply concept for the coming bathing season. According to the installer, the solar absorber system was "only" the third largest in the Federal Republic of Germany at the time. In its technical combination with interactive use (outdoor pool - supermarket), however, it was certainly the most valuable and demanding system for him. The supply concept combines the elements of solar absorbers, solar collectors, heat pumps and condensing heating technology in such a way that optimal cost-effectiveness is guaranteed with minimal environmental impact. The use of natural gas has been reduced by an impressive 95% per year, saving the environment annual CO2 emissions of more than 57,000 kg.
The pool water is heated primarily by a 1900 m² solar absorber system. 500 m² were installed on the roof of the outdoor pool building and 1400 m² on the roof of the neighboring supermarket. If the absorber's 50 km of pipes are not sufficient to heat the pool water to at least 23°C in bad weather, the water is raised to the desired temperature using a heat pump. This extension of the bathing season is not only environmentally friendly, but also brings the operator more income.
In addition to the outdoor pool, the new system also supplies heat to an adjacent supermarket. This means that the advantages of solar thermal energy generation can be used all year round, even outside of the bathing season.
A special side effect is achieved by placing the solar absorbers on the roof of the supermarket. Because the absorbers draw the sun's heat from the building's roof to heat the water, they simultaneously cool the supermarket building below. This contributes to a considerable reduction in the energy costs for the necessary cooling of the store, especially on particularly hot summer days.
This outdoor pool is therefore another example of the diverse applications of SmartHeat heat pumps - to the satisfaction of the operator and, of course, his guests.
SmartHeat heat pumps can be found in many swimming pools, indoor pools and outdoor pools. A wide variety of sources come into consideration: cold water pools like in Homburg or solar absorbers like here and in Juist, Singen and also Anweiler.