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Cooling Without Limits and Heat From the Sea – An HVAC Technology Roundup
This week in the HVAC industry brings two stories that show just how fast the boundaries of what's possible are shifting. Scientists in Hong Kong announce a breakthrough in elastocaloric cooling, eliminating its biggest weakness to date, while in Germany the first heating installation powered by heat recovered directly from the sea goes into operation. We look at what both stories mean for the future of air conditioning and district heating.
01 · Refrigeration
Elastocaloric Cooling Comes of Age – an Alloy That Doesn't Fatigue [1]
Elastocaloric cooling has for years been considered one of the most promising alternatives to conventional compressor-based air conditioners. Instead of a refrigerant circulating through a loop, it harnesses the heat released and absorbed as special metal alloys are cyclically stretched and relaxed under stress. In theory, this is a technology that could eliminate climate-harmful substances from air conditioning altogether. The problem is that the materials used so far tended to fatigue quickly, losing performance after a relatively small number of operating cycles — effectively blocking commercialization.
A team of scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology says it has now solved exactly that problem. The TiNiCuCo alloy they developed drives a cooling device that, after a million operating cycles, still maintains a stable cooling capacity of 400 W across a temperature span of up to 41 K — without the material degradation typical of this technology. What's more, accelerated tests showed no drop in functionality even after 100 million cycles, suggesting a lifespan measured in years rather than months of use. The researchers aren't stopping at lab results — they're already working on an air conditioner prototype based on this technology, which could be a first step toward commercial cooling devices that operate without classic refrigerants.
02 · District Heating
The Baltic Sea as a Heat Source – Germany's First Installation of Its Kind Goes Live [2]
From the air conditioning of the future, we move to district heating that's already up and running — and on a considerable scale. In the seaside town of Neustadt in Holstein, Germany's first district heating installation drawing energy directly from Baltic Sea water has begun regular operation. At the heart of the system is a 700 kW Johnson Controls Sabroe DualPAC ammonia heat pump, which raises the temperature of seawater up to 70°C.
The heated water is fed into a 25,000-liter buffer tank, from which it supplies a roughly 2 km local heating network serving residential, commercial, and public buildings in the harbor district. Before entering regular service, the installation underwent a series of successful operational tests confirming the system's stability. It's a strong example of large-scale, low-emission district heating based on waste heat from the sea — a direction that Polish coastal cities, with similar and still largely untapped potential, should already be taking a serious look at.
03
Two Directions, One Goal
Elastocaloric air conditioning and seawater-powered heat pumps may seem like unrelated technologies, but they share a common thread: both show that decarbonizing cooling and heating doesn't have to mean compromising on performance or durability. Quite the opposite — new solutions are increasingly outperforming conventional ones, both in terms of lifespan and the scale of possible applications.
Want to see similar innovations live and talk to the engineers and manufacturers putting them into practice? Join us at Warsaw HVAC Expo – Międzynarodowe Targi HVAC, where heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and building automation all come together under one roof.
Invitation
From elastocaloric air conditioners free of refrigerants to heat pumps powered by seawater – the future of HVAC is unfolding before our eyes. Visit Warsaw HVAC Expo – Międzynarodowe Targi HVAC to see live the technologies that may reach the Polish market tomorrow. Meet the manufacturers, engineers, and experts driving this change.
Warsaw HVAC Expo 2026Footnotes
[1] Cooling Post — https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/scientists-claim-elastocaloric-cooling-breakthrough/[2] Cooling Post — https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/germanys-seawater-heat-pump-begins-supply/