In the long term, Germany must say goodbye to fossil fuels for heating. Heat pumps should do the trick. But the devices are not uncritical. A new technology would at least eliminate one major disadvantage and make heat pumps greener.

Thermoacoustic heat pumps use speakers

So far, climate-damaging refrigerants have been used in heat pumps and the technology is prone to errors. A new technology aims to change that. The so-called thermoacoustic heat pumps use a loudspeaker to creating pressure differences through sound waves. Different sound waves are generated, which create a high or low pressure in the closed system filled with a gas such as nitrogen or helium. In this way, the gas is heated or cooled and can thus give off heat or cool in a heat exchanger.

The environmentally friendly heat pumps are very robust and come that way already used in space travel. In a modified form, the technology could also be used in heat pumps that are used in houses. The many improvements that various companies are working on usability promise, for example, a much higher flow temperature of up to 80 degrees. This would also make it possible to use it in old buildings that are not very well insulated (source: hot).

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Heat pumps are constantly being further developed

The energy crisis has really brought heat pumps into focus. More and more companies are concerned with the further development of previous solutions with climate-damaging refrigerants. Quieter constructions and more efficient devices are created that achieve higher flow temperatures. It is much more important that new startups take on the topic and the new opportunities. This is exactly what will ultimately ensure that the idea of ​​the heat pump really allows the leap away from fossil fuels.