2. SPIRIT partners need your support - Fill out the surveys!
3. Past SPIRIT events
4. Past Relevant External Events
5. Upcoming SPIRIT Activities and Events
6. SPIRIT News and Resources
7. Meet the SPIRIT Consortium
8. Meet the SPIRIT Advisory Board
News from the Demonstration sites
Demonstration site 1
Over the past six months, Demo Case 1 has made significant progress. After the heat pumps were shipped to Stella Polaris plant in Tromsø, commissioning began in February. However, during this phase an oil heater issue triggered a safety valve, resulting in an oil spill. Fortunately, no one was injured and ATEX concerns were avoided, but commissioning is currently halted. Stella Polaris and Mayekawa are actively addressing the situation: the oil spill is being cleaned, and the compressor skid is being sent back to Belgium for inspection and potential repairs. This incident will delay the demonstration by several months, with commissioning now planned for summer 2025.
In the last six months, the three partners of Demo Site 2 have worked extensively on the integration and installation of the GEA heat pump at the Tiense sugar factory, which was successfully finalized in February.
An official inauguration event was held on the 19th of February at the sugar factory, where the heat pump was presented to industry partners, stakeholders from the sugar industry, and government officials.
The heat pump has so far been operated successfully at half capacity and has generated steam. The final remaining step of the commissioning is to fine tune the startup procedure to ensure smooth and easy operation for the end user, Tiense Suiker. The production campaign at the sugar factory has ended, but some commissioning activities will take place during the summer as it is possible to test the startup procedure by using trace heating and a hot gas bypass of the compressor to generate suction gas, and by using the water system and the buffer tank that is already in place on the sink side. In this way, the heat pump can be tested and fine-tuned for the next production campaign beginning in the fall of this year.
Do you want to learn more about this heat pump in Demo site 2?
During summer 2023 the demonstration site has experienced a slowdown due to the situation that has affected Spilling. The financial situation of Spilling Technologies GmbH was such that an investment or takeover was required. Business operations were continued but did not allow for procurement in the framework of SPIRIT. As of 1 December 2023, Spilling Technologies has been taken over by a company operating under the name Spilling Project Partner GmbH & Co. KG. Business operations at the Hamburg location will continue unchanged. In order to proceed within the SPIRIT project, amendments are needed. This is currently ongoing.
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Are you an industrial heat pump manufacturer? We need your input!
EHPA, as part of the SPIRIT project, is drafting two reports on non-technical barriers and opportunities and skill needs for industrial heat pumps in the EU.
GEA Heat Pump Inauguration at Tiense Suikerraffinaderij
19 February 2025, Tienen, Belgium
On the 19th of February the Tiense Suikerraffinaderij inaugurated the 4 MW GEA Group high-temperature heat pump, marking a sweet step toward cleaner sugar production. This technology captures waste heat to produce steam, cutting CO2 emissions by up to 4,000 tonnes annually.
The event was preceded by a visit to the integrated heat pump at the demonstration site for the participants. The inauguration took place in the presence of several partners from the SPIRIT project and of Matthias Diependaele, Prime Minister of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister of Economy, Innovation and Industry, Foreign Affairs, Digitalisation, and Facility Management.Check out some pictures 👇 and the news article from the European Heat Pump Association to know more! 👉 https://lnkd.in/e7qBDxNZ
Excess Heat Recovery: Driving Circular Economy in Industry and Urban Communities with Heat Pumps
26 November 2024, 10.00 - 12.00 CET (Online)
This webinar, co-hosted by the Horizon Europe projects PUSH2HEAT, SPIRIT, and META BUILD, explored how high-temperature heat pumps can transform excess heat into valuable energy for industrial and urban applications. Experts shared real-world examples, including waste heat recovery at a paper mill, industrial symbiosis in the chemical sector, and an innovative project in Catalonia upgrading district heating waste heat for metal processing. The discussion highlighted the role of heat pumps in enhancing energy efficiency, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and driving the circular economy forward.
Atelier GENIE n°19 - Chaleur industrielle et valorisation énergétique
Join us on 11 April (8:30 – 12.00) at Services Industriels de Genève (SIG), Geneva, for the Atelier Genie #19, dedicated to industrial waste heat valorization.
This workshop is tailored for companies in Geneva and surrounding areas looking to explore innovative solutions for waste heat recovery. Don't miss the presentation of groundbreaking projects, including SPIRIT, carried out by experts in the field!
Join the SPIRIT Summer School on industrial heat pumps!
From June 16-27 in Copenhagen, this 10-day intensive course combines exclusive site visits to real-world HTHP projects with expert lectures from top European researchers and industry leaders. If you want to gain hands-on experience in HTHP development, industrial integration, business models, and implementation challenges, this summer school is for you.
On 2-3 April 2025, Milan will host Heat Pump Technologies, the first international exhibition and conference dedicated to heat pumps and related technologies enabling the energy transition. If you are attending the conference, on the 3rd of April join the morning session on "Heat pumps for a competitive Europe: driving clean tech and industrial growth" organised by the European Heat Pump Association. During the panel discussion on "Industrial heat pumps to decarbonise Europe’s industry" Miguel Ramirez, Sustainability Engineer at TNO, will present the SPIRIT Project. If you want to know more about SPIRIT and other ongoing EU projects focussing on heat pumps, visit EHPA at the stand A29.
On 13-14 May, Decarb Cities 2025 in Poland offers an opportunity to connect with policymakers, industry experts, academics, and city leaders, all coming together to share ideas and collaborate on the decarbonisation of cities.
If you are interested in the topic and are attending this event come and enjoy the conference and a conversation with the EHPA staff, to learn more about ongoing EU Projects on industrial and residential heat pumps!
On the 18th of November 2025 DTI is organising a 1-day training course about “Large-scale heat pumps for industry and district heating”.
The course is a basic course developed and organized especially for people, who is already acquainted with the basic principles of thermodynamics and/or refrigeration technology but have not worked extensively with heat pumps before.
The course is organized as a mix of lectures, smaller exercises, and a group exercise. A lab tour visiting DTI’s large-scale heat pump testing facilities is also included.
SPIRIT News and resources
Meet the partners of the SPIRIT Consortium!
The series of short video interviews of the SPIRIT Partners is out! Watch the videos to get to know the Partners of the project consortium, their expertise and their role and responsibilities in SPIRIT!
Don't waste the warmth: how industrial heat pumps can recover excess heat
From one of Germany’s largest paper factories to a metal processing plant for the beauty industry in Spain: how can heat pumps recover excess heat? On 26 November, three EU-funded projects – PUSH2HEAT, SPIRIT, and META BUILD – brought together experts to discuss innovative ways industrial and urban systems can collaborate to improve energy efficiency and achieve decarbonisation [...].
Sweet and sustainable: new heat pump at sugar factory
A Belgian sugar factory will be sweetening Europe’s path to clean industry thanks to a new heat pump in Tienen. The 4 MW high temperature heat pump, inaugurated yesterday at Tiense Suikerraffinaderij, will replace fossil gas, capturing waste heat at 80°C to produce steam at up to 138°C. This steam is then used to crystallise the sugar [...].
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