Kickstart combines technology, real-world testing and value-chain collaboration to accelerate and broaden the deployment of industrial heat pumps.
From innovation to real-world application
Industry faces a major challenge: the transition to an almost CO₂-neutral industrial sector by 2050. Industrial heat pumps, which upgrade waste heat into usable process heat, offer an important solution.
The technology is now at an advanced stage and ready for market launch. Yet widespread adoption is still being held back, often by a lack of practical experience and knowledge of integration into industrial processes.
Project objective
Kickstart focuses on accelerating the implementation of industrial heat pumps. The technology must meet practical requirements, be affordable and offer a payback period of less than five years. The project is also working to establish a strong supply chain of suppliers capable of producing these solutions at scale.
- Develop technologically and commercially viable solutions as an alternative to fossil-fuel heating systems at temperatures up to 200 °C.
- Identify and reduce non-technical barriers in the market.
Approach
The project is developing and testing large-scale heat pumps for two end users, with a Digital Twin supporting their integration. The heat pumps are tested at TNO in Petten under simulated real-world conditions and subsequently trialled in industrial processes for 2,000 hours.
For new applications, thermodynamic analyses and different system concepts are used to determine how heat pumps can be optimally integrated into industrial processes. Non-technical barriers, such as market structure and value-chain collaboration, are also examined through real-world cases.
Results
Through this approach, Kickstart contributes to the large-scale adoption of heat pumps before 2030 and takes an important step towards a CO₂-neutral industrial sector by 2050.
- Two replicable heat-pump concepts for existing industrial sites.
- Integration of heat pumps into two industrial processes with reliable operation.
- Five replicable concepts for integrating heat pumps into industrial processes.
- Clear recommendations for accelerating market implementation.