Industries worldwide rely on energy both for process heating and for non-process heating, such as space and water heating. In the EU, 3% of the process heating is produced from electricity, while 78% is from fossil fuels. The fossil fuels for heating accounts for 22% of total net CO2 emissions from the EU in 2021. With the global industrial heat demand set to grow by 16% by 2028, it is simply impossible to reach the Paris goals without addressing industrial heating. If companies fall to invest in electrification, they will end up with expensive, outdated infrastructure, and will be on the back foot compared to competition who prepared accordingly for a future energy system based on renewables. 

Gulpener Brewery in the Netherlands has optimized its processes by electrifying its process heating system with high-temperature heat pumps, using Danfoss components. These heat pumps allow Gulpener to efficiently capture and repurpose waste heat. In most food and beverage production, there is a simultaneous need for both cooling and heating. Typically, cooling is achieved through a refrigeration system that rejects excess heat as waste. Instead of allowing this heat to dissipate into the air, Gulpener has integrated it into their heating system. The heat pumps boost the temperature of this excess heat, making it suitable for reuse in the brewery’s heating processes, improving overall efficiency and sustainability.

Industrial heat pumps can deliver 2-5 heat units with only one input unit of electricity, dependent on what output temperature is needed. On the other hand, fossil-based process heating in the US industry wastes roughly one-third of all energy output. If heat pumps were implemented in all industrial heat processes below 200°C currently powered by fossil fuels, it could – in the EU alone – reduce CO₂ emissions by 146 million tons, equivalent to 22% of Germany’s net CO₂ emissions in 2021. In Gulpener’s case, the Brewery have saved 75% of their total energy use as a result of instalizing heat pumps and utilizing waste heat. Initially concerned about the heat pump solution’s impact on beer quality, the brewery is now convinced it has led to an improvement.