Industrial waste heat can be converted into electricity through organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology or upgraded to higher-temperature process heat using industrial heat pumps, speakers said during the latest European Heat Pump Association Heat BIG webinar.
Marco Astolfi of Politecnico di Milano said 730 ORC-based waste heat recovery projects are already operating across sectors including fossil fuel engines, geothermal energy, biomass, chemicals and cement.
Jozefien Vanbecelaere of the European Heat Pump Association said industrial heat pumps offer the most efficient route for capturing and reusing waste heat. Each unit of waste heat can be transformed into three to five units of higher-temperature process heat. The technology has particular potential in the paper and pulp and food and drink sectors, where a large share of process heat is below 200°C (392°F).
Around 7 TWh of industrial heat pump capacity is currently installed in Europe, with the potential to increase more than 100-fold. ORC systems are also being integrated into high-temperature processes such as cement production. Mirko Ferrari of Turboden cited Riyadh Cement Company in Saudi Arabia, where exhaust gas and hot air from the clinker cooler are captured and converted into electricity.
Speakers also highlighted financing and electricity costs as barriers to wider deployment. Fabio Bernareggi of CTP called for a supportive financial framework, while Vanbecelaere said the EU’s Electrification Action Plan, scheduled for 15 July, would provide an opportunity to address electricity costs for heat pumps.
Hans Korteweg of COGEN Europe described waste heat as a “major untapped energy resource.” The webinar was hosted by Vanbecelaere and Piero Colonna of Delft University of Technology as part of EHPA’s Heat BIG series, supported by Turboden.