IEA HPT Annex 58 High-Temperature Heat Pumps Final Report

The decarbonization of industrial process heating is a top priority to achieve climate goals as process heating accounts for a considerable share of the final energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of industries. High-temperature heat pumps are a promising alternative to fossil fuels to provide process heating at the highest efficiency using potentially emissions-free electricity. However, the deployment of heat pumps for temperatures above 100 °C is still limited. Enabling a large variety of industries to convert their process heat supply to high-temperature heat pumps requires a common understanding of the technology, its potentials, and its perspectives.
The overall objective of the Annex is to provide an overview of the technological possibilities and applications as well as to develop concepts and strategies for the transition towards heat pump-based process heat supply. The intention is to improve the understanding of the technology’s potential among various stakeholders, such as manufacturers, potential end-users, consultants, energy planners and policy makers. In addition, the Annex aims to provide supporting material to facilitate and enhance the role of high-temperature heat pump-based process heating for industrial applications. The work was structured in five tasks: Task 1 - Technologies, Task 2 - Integration Concepts, Task 3 - Applications and Transitions, Task 4 - Definition and Testing of Heat Pump Specifications, and Task 5 - Communication.