Deep Red State Catches Electric Heat Pump Fever, Bigly – CleanTechnica

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Electric heat pumps are chasing fossil fuels out of the heating and cooling business, and they are winning hearts and minds regardless of partisan politics. The latest example comes from the gleefully red state of South Carolina, where the Volkswagen-backed, retro-themed electric vehicle startup Scout Motors is busy installing an industrial-scale heat pump in its new factory to the tune of the hot new slow jam I’m Your Heat Pump.

The Heat Pump Revolution Hits South Carolina, Industrial-Scale Edition

Coincidentally, I’m Your Heat Pump also has a retro 1970s vibe to it. Hat tip to South Carolina Public Radio for a feature story on the two home-state musicians behind the sultry tune, which really is all about heat pumps. You can see (and hear) for yourself on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen has been evoking classic cars of the 1960s and ’70ths to catch the attention of prospective electric vehicle buyers, globally and domestically. The company’s Polestar EV branch, for example, is credited with the bones of the new Ford electric Capri in Europe.

Volkswagen’s new Scout Motors branch is working the US angle. Volkswagen nailed rights to the Scout brand when it acquired Navistar (formerly International Harvester) in 2020. The original version gas-powered version of the vehicle was produced from from 1960 to 1980.

In the latest news about Scout Motors, on July 9th, the global firm MAN Energy Solutions enthusiastically pronounced that it has been tapped to supply its industrial-scale heat pump to Scout’s forthcoming factory in South Carolina.

“This major venture is part of a multi-billion investment by Volkswagen AG in the American company, which is producing the next generation of fully electric pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), echoing the iconic Scout vehicles built from the 1960s to 1980,” MAN enthused.

Industrial-Scale Heat Pumps Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels

CleanTecnnica has spilled plenty of ink on the significance of heat pumps for rapid decarbonization, focusing mainly on the market for homes (here and here, for example). An industrial-scale heat pump is a different beast altogether. MAN will install a factory-wide heat pump system with two massive compressors, each weighing in at 12.5 megawatts.

“With the factory sprawling across approximately 1,100 acres, the manufacturing site faces substantial heating and cooling demands,” MAN explains.

In terms of the wider energy transition, MAN notes that the heat pumps will help Volkswagen meet its 2040 carbon neutral goal. The President and CEO of Scout Motors, Scott Keogh, also emphasized broad sustainability goals in a press statement announcing the new heat pump system.

“As we build our company, production center and ultimately our vehicles, we are taking great care to treat our community, air, land, water and people with respect,” Scott said.

“We’re just getting started,” he emphasized, indicating that the company has further decarbonization plans in the works.

MAN is also just getting started. “This project could serve as a blueprint for future production facilities in the US and all over the world,” explains Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions.

South Carolina To Electrification Movement: Hold My Beer

Oh the irony, it burns. On the one hand, South Carolina is one of two dozen states working to protect fossil energy interests by clamping down on firms that follow ESG (environment, social, governance) investing principles.

On the other hand, South Carolina is chest-deep in the decarbonization movement. That includes saddling ratepayers with the notoriously delayed and over-budget expansion of the Vogtle nuclear power plant, as well as pulling many taxpayer dollars together to incentivize clean tech manufacturers like Scout Motors.

To cite just one example, last year South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster put his John Hancock on a new bill setting the wheels in motion for an incentive package of $1.29 billion to land the new Scout EV factory. That would be the same Governor Henry McMaster who signed the anti-ESG bill H3690 into law earlier this year.

“The bill [HB 3690] ensures all investment decisions…are based solely on maximizing the highest rate of return for participants and beneficiaries and not based on factors like the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) movement,” the Governor’s office explained.

“This bill is yet another example of our commitment to responsible financial stewardship and it will safeguard the interests of our retirees and taxpayers from the liberal ESG agenda,” McMaster told his social media followers.

More Heat Pump Activity Stirring The Decarbonization Pot

Apparently McMaster did not get his own memo about the liberal ESG agenda, or perhaps state lawmakers expect to burn the candle at both ends. While a new energy bill sailed through the legislature earlier this year with a provision approving a new gas power plant, the state has also applied for millions of federal greenbacks from the home energy upgrade provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the comment thread. As of this writing, the South Carolina Energy Office is advising consumers that the state’s IRA-funded rebate program will not be up and running until next year. When it does, hold on to your hats. South Carolina expects to receive more than $137 million from the pockets of federal taxpayers, with a portion specifically dedicated to the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program.

Their website either needs an update or a new state-based rebate program has emerged with the approval of the state legislature. Either way, home energy services companies all over the state have already begun celebrating. “The South Carolina state government has announced its new HVAC Rebate Program and Evans Heating & Cooling is happy to help its customers and community take advantage of the program,” one firm announced in a press release dated April 8, 2024.

In the release, Evans drew particular attention to the inclusion of electric heat pumps in the rebate program, and not just for space HVAC systems. Heat pump clothes dryers and water heaters are also included (see more heat pump background here).

Another Group Heat Pump Hug For US Taxpayers

If all this sounds like good news for supporters of the new gas power plant, well, maybe. Maybe not. While South Carolina lawmakers were busy crafting legislation in support of fossil energy, the state’s own Office of Resiliency (SCOR) has laid other plans. It applied for, and received, a grant of more than $124 million from the federally funded Solar For All community solar program, which is administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

“The primary objectives of the program include expanding residential distributed solar and solar energy programs, providing resilient power solutions, diversifying the grid, and generating wealth and job opportunities within local communities,” SCOR explains.

That’s good news for heat pump fans seeking to shed fossil fuels from the grid mix, though the state has a lot of catching up to do in terms of renewable energy development. The US Solar Energy Industries Association, for one, does not appear particularly excited for solar growth in the South Carolina, but they do anticipate that a hair over 2.6 gigawatts will come online over the next five years.

Keep an eye on the US Department of Energy’s efforts decarbonize the industrial sector for a heat pump makeover. Among recent DOE grant awardees is the South Carolina firm Ice Air, which specializes in water-sourced heat pumps.

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Image: In yet another sign that the electrification trend is widening and deepening, the new Scout Motors electric vehicle factory in South Carolina will apply new heat pump technology to help decarbonize its HVAC system (courtesy of US Department of Energy).