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But how can theory be turned into practice?

EHPA presents the webinar series ‘Heat BIG – implementing industrial and district heating solutions’

Experts will take end users from idea to implementation, guiding them through aspects of large heat pumps from technical features to business models and technological innovations.

The webinar series is run in conjunction with seven EU-funded projects, and will cover topics from geothermal heat to asset sharing, and how large heat pumps can and are being deployed in industries from food & drink to paper & pulp.

Our first Heat BIG webinar took place on 19 March, on Industrial heat pumps in the food & beverage industry: solutions, challenges and opportunities  

Building on real use cases, the workshop showed how heat pumps can be integrated into industrial food & drink processes, the challenges encountered in practice, and the technical solutions available today to address them.  

The webinar was part of the EXQUISHEAT project which is co-funded by the EU. 

Upcoming Heat BIG webinars: 

Spring: digital tools for heat pump systems in the pulp & paper, food & drink sectors & cross-sectoral (SPIRIT project) 

Summer: business models for heat pump systems in the pulp & paper, chemicals sectors (PUSH2HEAT) 

Summer: virtual tour of demo site for all relevant sectors for geothermal energy (GEOFLEXHeat) 

Autumn: results from demo sites in the chemicals, pulp & paper sectors (PUSH2HEAT) 

We welcome other ideas for useful webinars for this series! Contact: jozefien.vanbecelaere@ehpa.org

Upcoming Heat BIG webinars:

• Spring: digital tools for heat pump systems in the pulp & paper, food & drink sectors & cross-sectoral (SPIRIT project)
• Summer: business models for heat pump systems in the pulp & paper, chemicals sectors (PUSH2HEAT)
• Summer: virtual tour of demo site for all relevant sectors for geothermal energy (GEOFLEXHeat)
• Autumn: results from demo sites in the chemicals, pulp & paper sectors (PUSH2HEAT)

Heat BIG with YOUR BRAND?

To market the webinars directly to potential end user customers, we are looking for sponsors of the webinar series.

For €4,000 we offer:

• One speaking slot at a Heat BIG webinar, to be identified with EHPA’s team and enacted within a year from signing of sponsorship contract
• Banner with your logo in EHPA members only newsletter
• Banner with your logo on EHPA website
• Promotion on EHPA LinkedIn + Bluesky
• Your logo on promotional slide presented at top of each webinar
• Oral reference to your company’s support during webinar
• Written reference to your company in follow-up article on EHPA website

  For more, contact anastasiia.dmitrieva@ehpa.org.

The EU-funded projects whose webinars are part of the Heat BIG series are:
HeatPumps4Industry; Greenspire, Exquisheat, SPIRIT, GEOFLEXheat; BETTED; Push2Heat. More info.

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The European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) is launching a new social media video series, “EU Projects in 60 seconds”, to showcase the impact of the association’s EU-funded projects and the people working behind them. 

The dynamic short-form series highlights EHPA’s extensive EU project portfolio through quick, engaging interviews with project team members. Each episode will feature a 60-second challenge in which project representatives answer rapid-fire questions about their work, the challenges they address and how their solutions support the wider deployment of heat pumps across Europe.

EU Projects in 60 seconds

6 Videos

Trailer

0:16

1. HP Subscribe

1:52

2. Spirit

1:47

3. RESkill4NetZero

4. Compliance Services

5. SHIFT2DC

EHPA currently coordinates or contributes to 20 EU-funded projects covering a wide range of topics including innovation, skills development, decarbonisation, energy systems integration, digitalisation and market uptake. These initiatives generate valuable knowledge, tools and solutions for policymakers, industry stakeholders, researchers and the broader clean energy community. 

The new series aims to strengthen the visibility of this work by presenting complex project outcomes in a format designed for today’s digital audiences. 

The series is distributed weekly, primarily via EHPA’s LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube channels, with all videos also available through the EU Projects section of the EHPA website. Project partners and consortia are encouraged to share the content to further amplify its reach.

For questions and enquiries regarding EU funded-projects, you can write at projects@ehpa.org.

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The HP4INDUSTRY project was officially launched with a kick-off meeting on 20 January 2026 and will run for three years. The partners will work together to design, develop and validate heat pump-based solutions to help industrial process sectors cut fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while safeguarding competitiveness. It will also deliver innovative business models that can be scaled up across a wide range of industrial applications. 

As Philippe Dumas, Secretary General at the European Geothermal Energy Council and HP4INDUSTRY coordinator said “Energy security, affordability and competitiveness are at the heart of today’s policy-making, and industrial heat pumps deliver on all three. By bringing together clean tech providers with end users, HP4INDUSTRY aims to generate new business partnerships and help to increase the take-up of heat pump solutions”.

The project focuses on low- and medium-temperature heat applications, where large heat pumps with geothermal, solar thermal and waste heat recovery offer the greatest potential. Priority sectors include pulp and paper, food and beverage, and chemicals, where electrifying process heat can achieve substantial emissions reductions.

HP4INDUSTRY follows a structured three-phase approach. In the first phase, the project will map industrial heating and cooling needs and identify available heat upgrade technologies capable of meeting those needs across the targeted sectors. Building on this analysis, project partners will develop and validate standard heat pump solutions under real industrial conditions. In the final phase, the consortium will focus on replication and outreach, supporting wider market uptake during the project’s lifetime and beyond.

At the heart of HP4INDUSTRY is the ambition to bridge the gap between technology suppliers and industrial users. The project builds on previous successful cooperation between members of the European Heat Pump Association and the Confederation of European Paper Industries, which led to the publication of a joint paper in 2023 on standardised heat pump integration in paper production. Drawing on this experience, HP4INDUSTRY addresses two persistent barriers to deployment: limited awareness among end users regarding the benefits and potential of heat pumps and hybrid solutions, and an incomplete understanding of industrial process requirements on the side of technology suppliers.

The HP4INDUSTRY project is funded under the European Union’s LIFE Programme and the consortium brings together a broad range of expertise, including the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), Turboden SPA, Smart Energy Europe, Optit Srl, Stichting S-ISPT, Solar Heat Europe, MM Frohnleiten GmbH, CO.PRO.B – Cooperativa Produttori Bieticoli Società Cooperativa Agricola, and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. 

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Known as ‘thermal energy storage’, this allows more renewable energy to be integrated into the power system – and improves flexibility across industrial and building applications.

During a technical webinar on 10 December 2025, experts from several leading research institutions showed progress across different EU projects.

Their work shows how thermal energy storage is changing: once just a simple “buffer” (like a big water tank) passively absorbing or releasing heat, it is becoming a smart, managed system (an “active asset”) that uses AI and smart controls to actively shift, balance, and optimize energy use for buildings, grids, and renewables.

The first presentation introduced a technique that uses salt – in its liquid form, it can store huge amounts of heat! Francesca Valentini from National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) shared how sodium hydroxide – or ‘caustic soda’ – can be used with liquid or molten salt to store heat safely above 350 °C. To meet the demands of low-pressure steam generation, the team developed a three-layer steam generator, produced through 3D printing. A tailored thermal-resistance layer acts as a thermal valve that stabilises the interface between molten salt and water, preventing salt solidification while avoiding overheating. Simulations show that this can deliver stable heat transfer under realistic steam conditions, offering a promising pathway for cost-effective decarbonisation of industrial heat. The EU project is called ‘Low-cost molten salt thermal energy storage for industrial processes’. 

The discussion then moved to  high-temperature metallic phase-change materials (PCMs) – materials used to improve thermal transfer between a hot component and a thermal solution like a heatsink, allowing the hot component to run at a lower temperature. This enables the component to run at a lower temperature whereby increase speed  which can provide fast and flexible steam generation. Their use in an industrial brewery setting was presented by Jonas Reinholz from Fraunhofer UMSICHT research institute.  Metallic PCMs offer high thermal conductivity and excellent cycle stability above 500 °C, addressing the performance limitations of many conventional salts. Using advanced computer modelling and simpler models, researchers looked at how the heat would be released over time as the PCM turns back from liquid to solid form: the release of heat at a constant temperature, then a cooling down.  Experiments show that steam heated to a point of pure vapour (‘superheated steam’ can be supplied within seconds, enabling rapid response to peak demand, improving boiler resilience, and creating opportunities to shift steam generation toward renewable electricity sources. This project is called ‘Industrial Process Steam Supply, Demonstration of an Ultra-Dynamic Thermal Energy Storage System.’

Accurate, real-time monitoring of thermal storage remains a central challenge for enabling TES to function as a controllable asset. Louis Desgrosseilliers from SPF-OST and representing the BEST-Storage project presented results from a new working group set up by the International Energy Agency , which will look at how much “heat” (energy) is stored as a percentage of the system’s total capacity – known as ‘state-of-charge (SoC) determination’. Building on earlier work from the International Energy Agency this subtask examines measurement techniques across sensible, latent, and thermochemical storage systems. Promising methods highlighted during the webinar include thermal expansion measurements, infrared emission analysis, acoustic time-of-flight sensing, electrical resistance measurements, and hybrid “state-observer” models that combine physical equations with measured data. While machine learning is increasingly used to detect complex patterns and correlations, the working group (IEA Task 47) methodology emphasises the need for transparent, hypothesis-driven models that can be deployed reliably on standard industrial control hardware.

The final contribution presented the HYSTORE project, led by Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Researchers Aditya Singh Suswal and Saman Nimali described the how they use use  phase change material that integrate a certain type of capsules, known as ‘RT57HC’ with a heat pump to provide compact and flexible thermal storage for buildings. Extensive testing in a controlled lab setting enabled them to track how much heat energy (enthalpy) is stored – up to 45 kWh, which is enough for household heating needs. It can quickly store heat during off-peak times and release it when needed, fitting into a normal daily cycle. They found that the speed of the fluid (flow rate) and its starting temperature affect how well heat is released. The system is currently being installed at the KTH Live-in-Lab, where its performance under real-world conditions, including user-driven heating demand, weather variability, and integrated control strategies, will be assessed.

Taken together, this projects illustrate how far TES innovation has progressed in recent years. Advanced materials, digital monitoring techniques, and real-world demonstration projects are positioning TES as a driver of flexibility, electrification, and decarbonisation. As Europe continues its transition toward a climate-neutral energy system, these developments show that thermal energy storage, whether through molten salts, metallic PCMs, or building-scale PCM units, will play a central role in supporting both industrial performance and system-level resilience.

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This was the central theme of the webinar “Heat Pump Skills in Action: Safety, Craft, and Planning for the Energy Transition,” hosted by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) and co-organised with the LIFE projects SKILLSAFE EU, HeatCraftHP, in which EHPA is part of and KnowHowHP.

With installer shortages and increasing technical demands, upskilling – meaning increasing someone’s knowhow – is now a crucial part of Europe’s energy transition – one that is as much about people as it is about technology.

The EU’s strategy: from skills policy to skills ecosystems

The first speaker, Felix Rohn from the European Commission’s DG Employment explained how skills are being placed at the centre of EU policy. Although education remains a national responsibility, Member States have chosen to collaborate on a unified strategy through the Union of Skills, a European Commission initiative to boost Europe’s competitiveness by investing in people, tackling skill shortages, and ensuring quality jobs through education, with a special focus on green transitions.

Rohn described how new Net Zero Industry Academies, collaborative training initiatives under the EU’s Net-Zero Industry Act that create standardised programs, content, and credentials to upskill Europe’s workforce for green tech jobs for sectors like solar, hydrogen, raw materials, wind, and batteries, are being launched to train workers efficiently and at scale. Meanwhile, the EU has also set up a ‘Pact for Skills’ – a voluntary commitment from thousands of companies and training providers to upskill their workforce. He highlighted plans for a European Skills Observatory that will integrate labour-market data from across Europe, helping policymakers and educators align training programmes with real industry needs. Together, these actions aim to create a skills ecosystem capable of supporting Europe’s clean-energy transition.

Strengthening the heat pump workforce through training and practical expertise

The first project presentation came from Miranda Groot Zwaaftink (NVKL), speaking on behalf of SKILLSAFE EU which focuses on preparing installers for the growing use of R290 (propane) in residential heat pumps. As Europe shifts toward natural refrigerants, Groot explained that safety training becomes essential because, even though modern heat pumps are robust, R290 is highly flammable.

SKILLSAFE EU has therefore developed comprehensive guidelines covering every stage of handling R290 monoblock heat pumps, from transport to disposal, with a second set of guidelines for split systems being prepared. The associated training programme is being tested across several countries in partnership with manufacturers.

Groot summarised the project’s core message clearly: “These heat pumps are really safe, if you follow the proper instructions. Safety starts with knowledge.”

The second presentation, delivered by Prof. Wilko Rohlfs (RWTH Aachen University), introduced HeatCraftHP, a project designed to strengthen practical installation skills. Rohlfs highlighted how sensitive heat pumps are to design quality, noting that even a professional installation can go wrong if hydraulic design is overlooked.

He pointed to a recent example of an installation that forced a heat pump to deliver unnecessarily high temperatures due to poor system layout – “thermodynamically the worst thing you can do,” he explained.

To tackle this, HeatCraftHP is developing interactive digital tools, including a Hydraulic Balancing Simulator that allows users to experiment with radiator adjustments, pipe diameters, and flow rates. These tools are intended not only for installers but also for general users, because, as Rohlfs put it, “People need to know their knowledge gaps, only then can they start to close them.”

The third project, KnowHowHP, was presented by Tobias Hatt and Assoc. Prof. Fabian Ochs, who addressed one of the most challenging segments of the market: existing multi-family buildings. Many installers still tell owners that heat pumps “won’t work” in such structures, but KnowHowHP aims to change that perception.

Their approach brings together installers, planners, and energy consultants to develop an integrated understanding of how building renovation and heat pump design interact. Hatt explained that successful installations require looking at the entire system – thermal envelope, radiator sizing, domestic hot water needs, and flow temperatures – rather than treating each element in isolation.

Ochs reinforced this point through real case studies, showing how targeted renovations can drastically lower heat pump capacity requirements. In one example, a building initially needing a 25 kW unit could, after improvements, operate efficiently with only 8 kW. These insights will feed into a new planning tool under development.

As Hatt put it simply: “The answer shouldn’t be ‘it doesn’t work.’ It should be ‘yes – it’s possible, but here’s what you need to change.”

A shared vision: skills as the foundation of heat pump deployment

Across all contributions, from EU policy to the practical experiences of the three LIFE projects, a common conclusion emerged: Europe’s heat pump transition is also a skills transition. Ensuring safe installation of new refrigerants, equipping installers with robust technical understanding, and enabling integrated planning approaches in complex buildings are all crucial steps toward meeting Europe’s climate goals.

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