Heat pumps play a crucial role in decarbonizing the building sector in Germany. Forecasts assume that up to 17 million units could be installed by 2045 in order to achieve the national climate neutrality targets. Heat generated by heat pumps has been proven to be the more sustainable alternative compared to fossil heat generation. Nevertheless, heat pumps currently require partially more copper and steel per unit of energy generated than fossil gas boilers. Heat pumps also depend on rare earth elements in their permanent magnets and electronic control units. These materials are listed by the EU as strategically important, potentially scarce raw materials, which raises concerns about resource scarcity and security of supply.
With the increasing deployment, it becomes more important ...