Price-driven flexibility of industrial high-temperature heat pump and thermal energy storage systems

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:GX researchers can use the MILP framework and quantitative findings on cost-optimal sizing and operation of industrial heat pumps with thermal storage.

🏢実務担当者:Corporate sustainability teams in energy-intensive industries can leverage the insights on flexibility value for cost-effective decarbonization of process heat.

🏛政策担当者:Policymakers can note the potential for demand-side flexibility in industrial heat to reduce system costs and emissions, supporting grid integration of renewables.

The electrification of industrial process heat through high-temperature heat pumps is a key pathway for reducing carbon emissions, yet its economic viability remains strongly influenced by electricity price dynamics and operating conditions. This study investigates the cost-optimal operation and sizing of industrial high-temperature heat pump systems coupled with thermal storage under price-driven flexibility strategies across different European electricity markets. A mixed-integer linear programming model is developed to optimise the operation of alternative system configurations supplying industrial heat at 50 °C, 90 °C and 150 °C, considering both continuous and intermittent process demand profiles. Hourly electricity prices and carbon intensity data for six EU Member States are used to capture diverse market conditions. Results show that operational flexibility enabled by thermal storage leads to significant operating cost reductions compared to electrified reference cases without storage, reaching up to 60% under favourable conditions, particularly for intermittent processes and in high electricity price variability contexts. Most of these reductions arises from shifting electricity consumption towards low-price periods, rather than from reductions in total energy use. Cost-optimal designs favour sized heat pumps above the peak demand combined with large storage capacities, whereas designs minimising simple payback adopt smaller, less flexible systems. Emission reductions of up to 70% are achieved for intermittent processes when electricity price profile is correlated to carbon intensity. For high-temperature applications at 150 °C, configurations based on intermediate thermal storage improve efficiency but reduce operational flexibility, resulting in operating costs comparable to direct high-temperature heat pump supply under most market conditions.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2026.141713first seen 2026-07-18 05:15:02