The meeting began with a welcome and an update on the revised Strategic Work Plan for 2023-2028 by Caroline Haglund Stignor from the Heat Pump Centre hosted by RISE in Sweden. (Link to Presentation)
Participants then received updates on current ideas and proposals for new international collaboration projects within the HPT TCP, as well as a newly started one, including:
- Project 66 “Optimal Heat Pump Design and Operation for Broader Acceptance“ – New Project (former Annex) – Riley Bradley Barta from Purdue University, USA/ Christian Vering, Aachen University (Link to Presentation)
- Digital services for heat pumps (legal text approved) – Bernd Windholz from AIT, Austria (Link to Presentation)
- Industrial High-Temperature Heat Pumps – (follow up on Annex 58) Martin Pihl Andersen from DTI, Denmark (Link to Presentation)
- Flexibility from centralized heat pumps in thermal networks and industrial hubs or from coordinated operation of distributed heat pumps – Morten Herget Christensen from DTI, Denmark (Link to Presentation)
- Heat pumps for hydrogen and carbon capture – Veronika Wilk, AIT, Austria (Link to Presentation)
- Follow-up on Annex 62 Heat Pumps for Residential Multifamily Buildings in Cities – Kyra Sophie Rimrodt from Fraunhofer-Institute, Germany (Link to Presentation)
- Enhanced miniaturized components – Viktor Ölen, The Swedish Cooling & Heat Pump Association, Sweden (Link to Presentation)
- Comfort and Climate Box solutions for cooling and dehumidification – Kashif Nawaz, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA (Link to Presentation)
- Advanced vapor-compression and non-vapour-compression technologies for heating, cooling, and refrigeration – Metkel Yebiyo, HPC/RISE, Sweden (Link to Presentation)
Following this, participants engaged in a brainstorming workshop to develop ideas for new international collaboration project topics across four prioritized areas for RDD&D within HPT TCP: System Integration, Robust Value Chains, Extending Application Range, and New Technologies and Refrigerants. Discussions took place in breakout rooms focused on these areas, with summaries provided below.
Breakout Room Discussions across the Prioritized Areas for RDD&D
System Integration
The discussion centered on the role of heat pumps in integrated energy systems at building, district, and city levels, with a focus on enabling sector coupling. Key challenges identified included current barriers to smart, flexible heat pump integration, as well as the need for improved evaluation methods. Proposed solutions emphasized creating metrics and frameworks for integrating heat pumps more effectively into smart energy systems, addressing flexibility, and overcoming technical barriers.
Robust, Sustainable, and Affordable Value Chains
Participants explored ways to create easy-to-install heat pump products, such as plug-and-play systems and self-commissioning options. Several challenges were highlighted, including:
- The complexity of ventilation systems.
- Long installation times and a lack of installer experience.
- High installation costs, which can exceed 100-200% of the product price.
Proposed solutions included improving diagnostics for installers and end-users to reduce installation complexity, providing better training for installers, and simplifying installation processes through dual-operation systems that combine existing boilers and heat pumps.
Value Chains & User Behavior
This group focused on creating robust, sustainable, and user-friendly heat pump value chains. The key challenges discussed included ensuring product acceptance and ease of use while fostering comfort and flexibility. Solutions revolved around addressing both technical and behavioral barriers, such as improving user education and making products more intuitive to install and operate.
Extending Applications for Heat Pumps
The main discussion in this room was around expanding the operation range of heat pumps and retrofitting them into buildings with special requirements, such as older structures or high-accuracy industries like pharmaceuticals. The group proposed focusing on energy efficiency improvements and integrating heat pumps into clean rooms and other industrial applications that demand high precision.
Heat Pumps for Cooling and Dehumidification
This room concentrated on the use of heat pumps and air conditioning for cooling, dehumidification, and drying in industrial and buildings’ settings. The major challenges within the building sector is increased efficiency when demand is set to soar. Within the industrial sector, the challenges identified were increasing efficiency and recovering heat from industrial cooling processes. Proposed solutions included using absorption heat pumps to maximize energy recovery and minimize energy losses in industrial operations.
New Technologies and Refrigerants
The discussion in this room focused on developing non-vapor compression technologies and emerging innovations with low Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). Participants noted uncertainties around performance, durability, and the high investments required to scale these technologies. Solutions included integrating these technologies into smart grids and transport systems while addressing challenges related to material availability and sustainability.
Low GWP Refrigerants
Participants in this room discussed the use of low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants in heat pumps and the associated safety measures. Key challenges included reducing reliance on synthetic refrigerants, particularly for large-scale heat pumps, and finding viable, sustainable alternatives. The group proposed adopting advanced sorption heat pumps that use ammonia and implementing refrigerant reclamation and reuse practices to improve environmental outcomes.
The meeting concluded with a reflection on the breakout room discussions and an overview of potential topics for the 2025 Heat Pumping Technologies Magazine. Moreover, the organizers reminded that the call for abstracts for the 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference will open on November 15. Overall, the event successfully fostered international collaboration and laid the groundwork for future research and development projects within the HPT TCP by IEA.