Industrial heat pumps are set to play a major role in the European Union’s goal to be climate-neutral by 2050.
The industry sector and residential and commercial sector account for 20.3% and 11.9%, respectively, of the bloc’s total emissions. Industrial heat pumps are already driving decarbonization in this sector, with natural refrigerants playing a major role.
Takeda, a global pharmaceutical company, replaced a fossil boiler at its manufacturing plant in Vienna with a 1.2MW (341TR) butane–water (R600–R718) heat pump built by German manufacturer Sustainable Process Heat (SPH) that produces 200°C (392°F) process steam. Enerin, a Norwegian high-temperature heat pump manufacturer, recently announced it will supply a 1.2MW heat pump for fellow pharma company Roche Switzerland to produce 171°C (340°F) steam for the chemical production process at its Basel/Kaiseraugst facility.
In the residential and commercial sector, Everllence, formerly known as MAN Energy Solutions, is building ammonia (R717) heat pumps for a 150MW (42,651TR) district heating network in Cologne and CO2 (R744) heat pumps for a 177MW (50,329TR) district heating network in Aalborg, Denmark. Danish manufacturer Fenagy has supplied both CO2 and hydrocarbon heat pumps to district heating networks, including a 30MW (8,530TR) installation in Finland that uses waste heat from a data center.
SPH, Enerin, Everllence and Fenagy will all be speaking at the Industrial Heat Pumps Conference, which will be held November 4–5 in Prague and is being organized by Exergie.CZ, a sustainable energy consulting firm. NaturalRefrigerants.com spoke with Tomas Caha, the owner of Exergie.CZ, to learn more about what’s on the agenda for this year’s event.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is the current state of the industrial heat pump industry in Europe?
Tomas Caha: The market is undoubtedly growing. There are still several bottlenecks in the legislative framework, such as ETS2, but the situation is improving quite rapidly. Recently several innovative programs have been introduced.
For example, the first auction for operational aid supporting electrification projects above 5MW [1,421TR], organized under the Innovation Fund and led by Mr. Roman Doubrava from CINEA [the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency], who will join our conference on the financing and regulations panel. He will provide a brief overview of how the program is structured, helping investors make informed and strategic decisions. This is just one example of how our conference brings value to participants.
The Industrial Heat Pumps Conference has a wide variety of core themes. Which one are you most excited about and why?
TC: It’s hard to pick just one. We believe the diversity of topics is our strength – from large heat pumps for district heating, which could be considered today’s standard, to highly innovative projects such as steam heat pumps and high-temperature thermal storage. With a total of 66 speakers from across Europe, the conference offers one of the most comprehensive lineups in the sector, bringing together voices from industry, policy and finance.
That said, if I had to choose just one technology, it would be high-temperature thermal storage. It’s a topic that interests me personally and was recently labeled “the most boring decarbonization technology.” And that’s exactly the point — the most “boring” technologies are often the most reliable and useful ones.
“It’s clear that natural refrigerants are becoming increasingly prominent in industrial applications.”
Tomas Caha,
Owner of Exergie.CZ
Natural refrigerants are carving out a niche for themselves in industrial heat pump applications. What presence will they have on the program?
TC: It’s clear that natural refrigerants are becoming increasingly prominent in industrial applications. Most manufacturers already offer natural alternatives, and even today industrial heat pumps using natural refrigerants represent a wider share of the market than ever before. This trend is expected to continue.
What are the innovations in industrial heat pumps that attendees can look forward to learning about during the conference?
TC: We have introduced a new section for promising startups to pitch their innovative solutions. Finding true innovation is always a challenge, but attendees can look forward to exciting developments, such as isothermal compressors and compact oil-free turbocompressors.
