> There are many applications where hydrogen could be essential. But for buildings, writes Cebon, “heat pumps are a clear winning technology. Absolutely true.

> There are many applications where hydrogen could be essential. But for buildings, writes Cebon, “heat pumps are a clear winning technology. Absolutely true. But, countries like Germany are still far away from having heat pumps as leading technology for heating homes. Gas/oil furnaces still make up (50 % + 25 % ) ~ 75 % of all home heating systems. Let's wait a few years and see where the electricity will come from, when say 10 Million homes are equipped with a 2 kW heat pump that's chugging away several hours a day in winter. And these 2 kW are a rather low estimate. That'd be 20 GW of additional load not just for the generators/turbines/panels but also for the grid. Quite an increase from the currently roughly 70 GW. So, yes, heat pumps are surely the future. But I'll remain sceptic as to how fast they can be deployed everywhere. I'd say the better way to spend money is to keep oil/gas furnaces as long as they work, and use those ressources to further insulate homes instead.