Germany wants the end of oil heating
Gas heating yes, oil heating no: In order to meet the Paris targets, Germany should have replaced its oil heating systems with heat pumps by 2030.
A study by the Fraunhofer Institutes for Wind Energy and Energy Technology Systems (IWES) and for Building Physics (IBP), commissioned by the German think tank Agora Energiewende, has investigated how the German government's targets in relation to the Climate Protection Plan 2050 can be achieved. These stipulate that the building sector may only emit 70 to 72 million tons of CO2 by 2030.
The study concludes that the heating sector mainly needs oil phase-out. While gas heating should be at about a similar level as today, oil heating should be replaced by heat pumps. The target is a mix of about 40% gas, 25% heat pumps and 20% heat networks. Today, there are around 6 million oil-fired heating systems in Germany, equivalent to around a quarter of the total heating stock.
As the German weekly newspaper "Welt" reportsIn order to achieve the study's targets, five to six million heat pumps would have to be installed by 2030 - but if things continue at their current pace, the figure will be just one to two million.
Increase efficiency
In addition to abandoning oil, there would also have to be a massive increase in efficiency in the building sector: for example, the heat consumption of buildings would have to be reduced by 25% compared to current levels.
In order to operate the heat pumps in an environmentally friendly manner, the share of renewable electricity is also to be increased to 60%.
