Over the past six months, Demo Case 1 has made significant progress despite the challenges we encountered during the commissioning of the heat pumps earlier this year. Following the incident in February, the Stella Polaris team focused on restoring the (pentane) heat pump hall, which included thorough cleaning and repairs after the oil spill. We are pleased to report that the pentane house is now fully compliant with ATEX and other safety standards.
In parallel, the compressor skid—an essential component of the pentane heat pump—was shipped to Belgium to Mayekawa Europe premises for a detailed mechanical and electrical inspection. All necessary replacements were identified, and the required equipment has been ordered, received, and successfully assembled as showed in the following pictures.
Looking ahead, the refurbished compressor skid is scheduled to return to the Stella Polaris plant in Tromsø in October, after which integration activities will begin. A pre-commissioning phase will follow to ensure that all safety checks are completed and validated. The current plan is to start the commissioning of the cascade heat pump by November, bringing us closer to demonstrating the full potential of this innovative solution.
After the first experience with operating the heat pump, the demo site 2 team has focused since April on preparing and optimizing the heat pump for the coming beet campaign that is to begin this month. The sugar plant production runs in campaigns mainly in during the fall and winter, and so the spring and summer time can in general be used for maintenance and service work.
Hence, for the steam producing heat pump the time has mainly been utilized for making oil analyses, re-installing a repaired bypass valve in the discharge line, installing a motorised valve in the oil rectifier line (Picture A), adjusting the location of a standpipe on the evaporator (Picture B), and adding more trace heating to selected places. On the steam side of the system the changes have mainly been on increasing the number of plates in the heat exchanger for the water side of the oil cooling loop, as well as taking preventative measures to avoid air or condensed water being trapped in the vacuum steam line for the heat source of the heat pump (Picture C).
The work has gone according to schedule during this period, and it is expected that the heat pump will be ready for start-up for the beet campaign end of September and hereby start up the test program for the heat pump.
The pictures above show some of the newly installed or optimised components on the heat pump.
In summer 2023, the SPIRIT demonstration site slowed down due to Spilling’s financial difficulties. After a takeover on 1 December 2023, operations in Hamburg continue under Spilling Project Partner GmbH & Co. KG. Project amendments are now in progress to resume activities.
On 2 October, from 11:00 to 12.30, join the 2Cool2Waste projects cluster for its first webinar: "Boosting energy efficiency in industry: proven solutions & real business cases". This session brings together 11 Horizon Europe projects to showcase solutions already making an impact. For SPIRIT, the Project Coordinator Simon Spoelstra will be presenting the project’s activities and main achievements.
The Cluster brings together 15 projects aiming at decarbonising the process industry through excess heat recovery, including SPIRIT.
From 5 to 10 October 2025, the 20th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Conference in Dubrovnik is taking place.
On behalf od the SPIRIT Project, Nancy Kabat Scientific Researcher at the German Aerospace Center will attend the conference and present a paper on "Development of modular heat pump concepts for industry based on market requirements".
This edition of the conference is dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge on methods, policies and technologies for increasing the sustainability of development by de-coupling growth from the use of natural resources and by a transition to a knowledge-based economy.
Watt's Next: the shift to an electric and efficient net zero industry
15 October 2025, 9:00 - 10.30, Online
Electrifying industrial heat with clean and efficient solutions such as heat pumps and the Organic Rankine Cycle, which converts low-temperature heat into electricity, is critical to reducing emissions while strengthening Europe’s energy security.
This webinar, co-organised by the European Heat Pump Association, the European Climate Foundation and the Knowledge Centre on Organic Rankine Cycle Technology, explores how industrial electrification can drive decarbonisation and energy resilience, in view of the upcoming Electrification Action Plan and forthcoming revision of the Heating and Cooling Strategy.
Event - High Temperature Heat pumps for Industrial decarbonisation
22 October 2025, Madrid
If you are interested in high-temperature industrial heat pumps and will be in Madrid on 22 October, don’t miss this conference organised by Tecnalia within the framework of the PUSH2HEAT Project. Attend this event to discover how innovative technologies are overcoming the challenge of high-temperature demands, paving the way toward a cleaner, more resilient, and competitive industry. On behalf of SPIRIT, Miguel Ramirez, Sustainability Engineer at TNO, will present the achievements reached so far and the next steps planned for the project.
As a leading event for the international heat pump industry, the European Heat Pump Summit brings together the latest in market trends, research, and innovation, with a special focus on large-scale systems.
EHPA is back at the European Heat Pump Summit on 28–29 October 2025 in Nuremberg’s exhibition centre. If you are attending and want to learn more about SPIRIT you can come to meet a member of the EHPA team in Foyer Brussels, stand 27 – next to the German Heat Pump Association BWP.
The Industrial Heat Pumps International Conference - Prague is a flagship Central European event dedicated to the future of heat electrification and industrial decarbonisation. Taking place on 4–5 November 2025 at the Prague Congress Centre, the conference brings together a unique mix of policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and technology experts to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy.
Are you a EHPA member? You can benefit from a 20% discount on ticket prices!
Save the date for the High-Temperature Heat Pump Symposium 2026 taking place on 21-22 January 2026 at Bella Sky Copenhagen, Denmark!
This international gathering is your opportunity to connect with leading experts, end-users, and innovators, delve into the latest technological advancements, and explore real-world solutions to high-temperature heat pump challenges.
Key dates to remember:
✅ Early-bird deadline: 17 October 2025
✅ Symposium Dinner: 21 January 2026 at Madklubben Home of Carlsberg
SPIRIT sugar demonstration presented at EHPA Heat Pump Forum in Brussels
23-24 September 2025, Brussels
On 23 September, Bart Aerts, Production Manager Silo Sugar at Tiense Suikerraffinaderij, gave a presentation on “Implementation of a 4 MW High-Temperature Heat Pump in a Sugar Factory” at the EHPA Heat Pump Forum in Brussels. The presentation of the outcomes from SPIRIT demonstration site 2 served as a real-life success story, illustrating how large heat pumps can decarbonize the food and beverage industry.
European Commission Delegation visit to Tiense Suikerraffinaderij
22 September 2025, Tienen
On 22 September, a delegation from the Directorate-General for Energy of theEuropean Commission visited the demonstration site at Tiense Suikerraffinaderij in Tienen to see the GEA high-temperature industrial heat pumps in action. Here below a picture outside the sugar factory in Tienen.
SPIRIT Summer School on Industrial High-Temperature Heat Pumps
From 16 to 27 June 2025, the SPIRIT Summer School on Industrial High-Temperature Heat Pumps took place in Copenhagen. With over 30 students, 18 lecturers, and 3 real demo case visits, the program offered participants the opportunity to gain valuable technical knowledge on the functioning and potential of industrial heat pumps, as well as insights into common business models and ongoing policies shaping the market. This activity was organised by DTU - Technical University of Denmark, in collaboration with the European Heat Pump Association and with the support of TNO, DTI and DLR.
Check out some pictures from the summer school and the short video to know more!
SPIRIT results shared at the First Clustering Event on Efficient, Sustainable Energy use in Industry
28 May 2025, Brussels
On 28 May, the event was organised by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency in Brussels and it brought together representatives from projects funded under Horizon Europe and LIFE Programmes. The workshop aimed to connect experts and project teams to explore innovative solutions for industrial decarbonisation. During the breakout session on Thermal Storage and Heat Upgrade, SPIRIT shared the latest updates of the demonstration sites and outcomes. The session proved to be an excellent opportunity to exchange best practices and identify scalable pathways to accelerate the transition towards a low-carbon industry.
The Road to Sustainable Industrial Heat: A Roundtable on the Future of Industrial Heat Pumps
22 May 2025, 10.00 - 12.00 CET (Online)
This webinar, organised in the framework of SPIRIT and PUSH2HEAT highlighted the findings of a PESTLE analysis carried out within the PUSH2HEAT project, which examined barriers and opportunities for industrial heat pumps across Europe and provided insights to guide strategies and policies for their large-scale deployment. From the SPIRIT Project, Bart Aerts, from Tiense Suiker presented the end user perspective and the main outcomes of SPIRIT demonstration site 2
Following this presentation, speakers from academia, industry, and policy shared their perspectives on the future of industrial heat pumps and reflected on the PESTLE analysis results.
SPIRIT poster session at the Renewable Heating and Cooling ETIP Annual Event in Brussels
On 6 May 2025 SPIRIT was presented during a poster session during the RHC ETIP Final event "Collaborative Pathways to Sustainable Heating and Cooling".
This full-day event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and technical experts to explore current opportunities and challenges in renewable heating and cooling. SPIRIT was proudly represented by the European Heat Pump Association and TVP Solar, with project highlights shared during the poster session to a wide audience of engaged stakeholders.
SPIRIT in Geneva for the 6th Project General Assembly and the Workshops on Industrial Heat and Energy Recovery
On 10-11 April, TVP Solar hosted the SPIRIT partners for the 6th General Assembly of the project in Geneva. Day 1 was dedicated to project updates and key discussions. The consortium gathered to review progress and plan for upcoming milestones and activities in the months ahead. Day 2 featured an insightful site visit to TVP Solar thermal plant in Geneva at the Swiss energy utility SIG – Services Industriels de Genève. This was followed by a workshop on Industrial Heat and Energy Recovery, where Simon Spoelstra, SPIRIT Coordinator, presented the project to a network of engaged stakeholders from Geneva’s energy ecosystem.
SPIRIT presented at Heat Pump Technologies in Milan
3 April 2025, Milan
On 3 April, SPIRIT was presented and disseminated at the 1st edition of the fair and conference Heat Pump Technologies in Milan. During the European Heat Pump Association session "Heat Pumps for a Competitive Europe", Miguel Ramirez, Sustainability Engineer at TNO, took the stage to present SPIRIT — sharing the project's activities and vision for how industrial heat pumps can drive clean tech and industrial growth across Europe. Hosted by RX Italy at Allianz MiCo, the event brought together experts, innovators, and policymakers to accelerate the energy transition and explore the next wave of sustainable technologies.
SPIRIT is part of the 2Cool2Waste Initiative
SPIRIT has recently joined and is proud to be part of the 2Cool2Waste Initiative — a collaborative cluster of EU sister projects driving sustainable heating and cooling solutions for industry across Europe. 15 EU-funded research projects are advancing themes like industrial waste heat recovery, electrification, thermal energy management, and energy efficiency through joint events, policy briefs, and knowledge-sharing. Check out the projects that are part of the cluster and stay tuned for future activities organised in the framework of this initiative!
In the past 7 months, SPIRIT was disseminated in several other external conferences and events that are relevant for the sector. Here is a list:
ISH 2025 in Frankfurt, 17-21 March 2025
Roteiro para a Neutralidade Carbónica da Indústria Química Portuguesa 2050 workshop 2: high electrification, Online, 28 May 2025
EHPA Research and Innovation Committee 18th meeting, Online, 6 May 2025
DecarbCities 2025, Cracow, 13/14 May 2025
EUSEW Policy conference and energy fair, Brussels, 10/12 June 2025
Norsk Kjøleteknisk Møte 2025, Bergen 2-4 April 2025
Food4Future Fair, Bilbao, 13-15 May 2025
Warmtepompen voor de Industrie, Kortrijk (BE), 16 May 2025
Presentation on industrial heat pumps for the Working group on industrial water quality of the Dutch Institute for Water Research, Nieuwegein (NL), 10 September 2025
SPIRIT News, Publications and Briefs
Policy brief "From Plan to Action: Reducing Electricity Taxes to Support Industrial Heat Pumps"
Nowadays, industrial heat pumps have the potential to significantly boost the energy efficiency of processes operating at temperatures up to 180–200°C. At the same time, they support the shift from fossil fuels to electricity as a primary energy source. In European industry today, process heating is a major energy driver, accounting for two thirds of total final energy demand. A large portion of this still relies on fossil fuels like gas, coal, and oil and only about 3% currently comes from electricity [...].
Selection of lubricant oils for high temperature heat pumps: A review and selection methodology guidelines
Lubrication is key to the performance and reliability of high-temperature heat pump systems. The primary function of the oil is to lubricate and protect the compressor. In addition, it also provides cooling of the parts heated by friction, a seal against working medium gas leakage, removes impurities, and reduces the noise produced by the moving parts. To fulfil these tasks the lubricant oil must have the required properties, in particular viscosity, which is temperature and pressure dependent and is impacted by the solubility and miscibility between oil and working medium[...].
Numerical investigation of a heat pump demonstrator for partial electrification of the steam supply for paper drying
Industrial process heat is currently mostly generated by using fossil fuels. In order to reduce emissions, heat pumps have been identified as a key technology to electrify a wide range of industrial processes. For applications in the temperature range higher than 150 ◦C, there is a high demand of bringing technologies to market maturity. This is one of the main purposes of the EU-funded project SPIRIT [...].
High temperature heat pumps: turning up the heat on industrial decarbonisation
A quiet revolution is heating up behind factory walls. From sugar processing to paper production and the prawn industry, high-temperature heat pumps are already proving that clean industrial heat is not only possible – it’s profitable, too.
Thanks to EU-funded projects like Push2Heat and SPIRIT, real-world deployment is now validating years of research and development. The aim? To make heat pumps the go-to technology for temperatures up to 200°C [...].
The Industrial Heat Pump Design Tool that has been developed by TLK Energy in the framework of the SPIRIT Project is now ready for your simulations!
With this online tool, you can precisely tailor heat pumps to existing heat sources and sinks, compare different refrigerants and circuit concepts and optimise the efficiency of your system.
Integrating high-temperature industrial heat pumps with solar thermal - some scenarios
SPIRIT has identified five integration strategies for Solar Thermal and High Temperature Heat Pumps. The optimal solution of integration depends on parameters such as the heat demand profile, the availability or not of waste heat, the location of the industrial consumer, the heat pump technology [...].
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