Turning Wind into Warmth: Smart Heating in Leirvík

What happened in Leirvík

In the village of Leirvík, a new ground source heat pump system was installed next to the local school and elderly home. The system replaced oil burners with a modern solution combining geothermal heat extraction and large-scale thermal storage.

Key features of the installation include:

• 17 boreholes, each 350 metres deep
• Four heat pumps (2 × 30 kW units)
• Hot water storage tanks with a total volume of 70 m³

The system replaces the annual use of 70,000–75,000 litres of oil. It consumes approximately 350,000 kWh of electricity per year, supplied at a reduced rate when surplus wind power is available.

A central activity was the development of a data-collection and visualisation system that enables performance data from the heating system to be presented clearly and openly. This system is publicly displayed online, helping residents, decision-makers, and visitors understand how the technology works and how energy flows through the system.

The Faroese Environment Agency coordinated the work in close cooperation with local and regional stakeholders:

• Leirvík Municipality provided access to the installation and internet connectivity.
• SEV, the local utility, supplied electricity at a reduced rate of 0.68 DKK/kWh during periods of surplus wind energy
• Ívf VV developed the programming for data collection and presentation.

The heating system was installed during 2022–2023 and officially inaugurated on 12 April 2023, with data visualisation completed in the following months.

Why it matters

The Faroe Islands are on a clear path towards decarbonisation, with wind power expected to become the dominant source of electricity. However, wind energy is inherently intermittent, and at times production exceeds the grid's capacity, leading to curtailment.

The Leirvík system demonstrates a practical solution: using surplus wind energy to power heat pumps and store it as heat when available, then releasing it when needed. This approach strengthens energy security, reduces fossil fuel use, and increases the overall efficiency of the energy system. For a village of just 700 inhabitants, the system stands as a concrete example of how renewable energy transitions can be both technically robust and locally meaningful.