A year of time to develop solutions to decarbonize heating applicable to existing plants without the need for special and expensive retrofit interventions. This is the goal of the prize awarded by The Clean Fight, which selected the 7 finalist technologies
It is estimated that the heat pump market will be worth more than $10 billion for the state of New York alone
They are the seven technology finalists of the Empire technology Prize who will have available $10 million to implement solutions to decarbonize the heating of the tallest buildings. Developed by The Clean Fight on behalf of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the award will identify the most effective but, at the same time, most accessible technologies to apply in a pre-existing context, avoiding costly implementations. At the base of the competition is the search for a new class of heat pumps that work with the existing infrastructure of steam or hot water at high temperatures or distribution systems that simplify the adoption of existing low-temperature central heat pumps.
A common problem: heating emissions
New York’s buildings account for one-third of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of the city’s emissions. Winter and summer air-conditioning systems are especially important.
New York has decided to focus on heat pumps to reduce emissions from the sector and decarbonise heating. So far, nothing new. The problem, however, is that most heat pumps work best with low-temperature hot water distribution systems, while most high-rise buildings in New York operate with steam distribution or hot water at high temperatures.
The Prize was created with this premise, which collected the most innovative technologies adaptable to an existing context.
$10 billion in opportunities
Market opportunities are not lacking: It is estimated that these solutions in New York alone will cost $10 billion, reaching $40 billion for the entire United States.
The finalists selected by The Climate Fight have until July 2025 to develop their solutions, creating at least one tested prototype for a high-temperature heat pump or a distribution system that can be installed more efficiently than current solutions for existing residential or commercial buildings in the State of New York in buildings of 7 floors and above. In addition, the finalists will have the opportunity to work closely with essential demonstration partners, including major protagonists of real estate.
The seven winning technologies
Steam heat pumps + high-temperature hot water
It is awarded one of the awards the ENERIN AS Norwegian company that has prepared a heat pump that uses a reverse Stirling cycle and can produce both steam and hot water at high temperatures. The technology is already in use in the industrial sphere, as well as in a prototype for heating rooms.
Headquartered in Wisconsin, Johnson Controls uses a cascade cycle, centrifugal compressor, and mechanical steam recompression technology to recover energy. The solution, developed in collaboration between their North American and European teams, uses water as a source of heat, can recycle waste heat to improve efficiency and can offer cooling as an accessory advantage.
Another technology that will be tested to decarbonize heating is developed by a company with over 100 years of experience in the space heating industry. Miller Proctor Nickolas will use ChillHeat technology from Finnish manufacturer Oilon to create a solution that generates both high-temperature hot water and steam.
Steam heat pump
In the category of steam heat pumps, AtmosZero’s project, which uses a cascade cycle to produce steam at low-medium pressure, uses air or water as a source of heat and refrigerants with low global warming potential, wins.
Clean Heat Technologies also uses a steam heat pump that uses natural coolant (CO2) and uses water as a source of heat. The team has developed six prototypes so far.
Heat pumps for high-temperature hot water
This HVAC design collective, in collaboration with Flow Environmental Systems (Minnesota) and Gil-Bar Industries (New York), has proposed a high-temperature hot water solution using a natural coolant (CO2) and air or water heat sources. In addition, their low-volume technology offers sanitary hot water and simultaneous heating and cooling capabilities for flexible performance.
Distribution solutions
In collaboration with Cycle RetroTech, Hydronic Shell’s solution proposes incorporating a complete HVAC distribution system into a modular coated façade that can be quickly, conveniently and non-invasively installed on the outside of an existing building, allowing for a simpler adoption of the low-temperature heat pumps solutions available on the market to Decarbonize heating.
