Economic and environmental considerations for the deployment of industrial very high temperature heat pumps in European markets

Very high temperature heat pumps (VHTHP) have begun to emerge on the market during the past decade, providing an alternative to fuel-fire boilers for generating industrial process heat up to 200 °C. Large temperature lifts are common for VHTHPs, resulting in a reduced coefficient of performance (COP) compared to traditional heat pumps. Thus, the economic feasibility of operating VHTHPs becomes more dependent on local price conditions, and the environmental impact is affected by increased electricity usage. Both the economics and the environmental impact of operating industrial VHTHPs in place of fossil fuel-fired boilers in Europe are studied in this article. Discounted payback periods are estimated for the varying price conditions in Europe, and life cycle assessment tools are used to quantify the environmental impact of operating VHTHPs. Finland, Sweden, and Denmark were found to be ideal countries for VHTHP deployment, as they showcase both favorable economic conditions as well as generally small environmental impacts in the endpoint categories Human health, Climate change, and Resource usage, if local grid electricity is used. The effect on the endpoint category Ecosystem impacts was generally larger for most countries, including the aforementioned three, mostly due to the use of biomass in the electricity grid. •Industrial Very High Temperature Heat Pump (VHTHP) operation in Europe was studied.•Life Cycle Assessment was used to quantify the environmental impact of operation.•Renewable electricity grids are crucial for VHTHPs to be environmentally preferable.•A 96 % reduction in CO2-eq emissions is possible compared to natural gas boilers.•Finland, Sweden, and Denmark have ideal conditions for industrial VHTHP operation.