IEA Heat Pumping Technologies TCP · Annex 68
HPT Annex 68 Progress Snapshot
July 2026 edition
The global database, sector integration templates, and Skills4HP cluster continue in parallel. As of July 2026, the latest public activity is the interactive workshop at the 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference in Vienna (80+ participants); the Task 1 database now maps 55+ technology suppliers and 40+ demonstration cases—see heatpumpingtechnologies.org/project68 for the authoritative text. Related conference notes: Conferences & forums; Task 1 report downloads: Useful links.
Task 1: Step-change update to the global technical database
- Temperature leap: The Task 1 yearly report 2025 (HPT-PR68-2, published Dec 2025) confirms that commercially available high-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) now routinely exceed 165°C supply temperature, with laboratory prototypes reaching about 200°C.
- Working-fluid momentum: Technology readiness (TRL) of natural working fluids—R718 (water vapor), R717 (ammonia), R744 (CO₂)—has risen markedly. The Vienna workshop highlighted the shift toward natural refrigerants and practical lessons from mechanical vapor recompression installations.
- Living database: Project 68 has mapped 55+ technology suppliers and 40+ demonstration cases. The interactive Task 1 page remains open for templated submissions—consistent with the Copenhagen and Vienna symposium message that more suppliers, higher temperatures, and larger capacities are arriving quickly.
Task 2: First drafts of industry-specific integration templates
- Priority sectors: Expert groups have drafted early integration templates for chemicals processing, pulp & paper, and textiles—first shaped at the Feb 2026 Copenhagen HTHP symposium parallel workshops.
- Deployment framework: At the Vienna HPC workshop, Florian Schlosser (Paderborn University) presented Task 2 sector collaboration through a four-phase path—Boundary Conditions, Conceptualization, Implementation—moving beyond "selling a box" toward thermal coupling with process units such as reboilers, sludge dryers, and dyeing machines.
Task 3: Education & skills (Skills4HP)
- The Skills4HP cluster for installation and O&M personnel is underway. New Zealand joined Project 68 as a limited sponsor (Jan 2026); Sweden participates through a nationally funded flagship project combining advanced research with full-scale industrial implementation (Jan 2026)—confirm details on the official Project 68 site.