Enerin at 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference: Industrial heat pumps move centre of Europe’s energy security
Diversification central to European energy security
As Europe pushes to strengthen energy resilience and reduce industrial dependence on fossil fuels amid rising geopolitical uncertainty in natural gas and oil markets, electrification of industrial process heat is moving to the centre of attention.
Enerin CEO, Arne Høeg, will demonstrate that replacing gas-fired steam boilers with industrial heat pumps running on renewable electricity is now a reliable substitute to fossil fuels. The findings will be presented in a peer-reviewed paper at the 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference in Vienna, 26 to 29 May, 2026.
Drawing on *15,000 operating hours across three full-scale industrial installations, the HoegTemp™ high-temperature steam-producing heat pump demonstrated the potential to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by up to 100% when powered by renewable electricity. The high-temperature heat pump (HTHP) demonstrated strong efficiency during single-step temperature lifts, while maintaining operational flexibility, with HTHP output capable of ramping up between 40-100% within seconds and from 0-40% in minutes.
These are among the key findings that Enerin CEO, Arne Høeg, will present on Friday, 29 May, 11:00 –11:15 in the Zeremoniensaal (ceremony hall) at the Hofburg Vienna. The paper is titled: Performance evaluation of industrial heat pump based on reversed Stirling cycle for ultra-high temperature applications (Høeg, et al).
Heat pumps strengthen industrial energy security and operational resilience
Beyond the important GHG reductions that industrial heat pumps can deliver, the findings point to a key and often overlooked factor: industrial heat pumps contribute to energy diversification by strengthening industrial energy security. They are more efficient than both the fossil fuel and electric boiler, and when powered by local or on-site renewable electricity, industrial heat pumps can take strain off networks already under pressure from rising electricity demand.
For manufacturers exposed to volatile gas markets, industrial heat pumps are increasingly being viewed not simply as decarbonisation technologies, but as infrastructure that can strengthen operational resilience with a reduced exposure to fuel- and electricity-supply risks.
Industrial heat pumps anchor production around local, renewable power systems
Instead of relying on internationally traded fossil fuels that are subject to price shocks and electricity supply concerns, electrified process heat allows industrial facilities to anchor production around local power systems, including renewables, and recovered waste heat streams.
These are the main reasons that are driving industry’s broader strategic shift towards heat pumps and renewables, according to Enerin’s direct experience with potential customers. CEOs are advancing on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals, steered in part by rising long-term costs linked to climate policy and carbon exposure. Companies also express unease over securing adequate access to grid connections as electrification advances.
For sectors dependent on steam generation for processes like drying, distillation and thermal processing, this is increasingly significant. Industrial sites require systems capable of maintaining reliable high-temperature heat under rapidly changing production conditions — historically one of the core strengths of conventional fossil-fuel boilers.
The peer-reviewed paper
Performance evaluation of industrial heat pump based on reversed Stirling cycle for ultra-high temperature applications was co-authored by Enerin engineers, Arne Høeg, Kristian Løver, Rebekka Reberg, Else Stougård Andersen; Ignat Tolstorebrov, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; and Norbert Lümmen from the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Maritime Studies, Bergen, Norway.
*The findings draw on 15,000 hours at the time of writing the paper.
The Conference
The 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference is being held from 26 to 29 May, 2026 at the Hofburg in Vienna. The conference is organised by the IEA Technology Collaboration Programme on Heat Pumping Technologies (HPT TCP) by IEA. As a member of the HPT TCP’s International Organising Committee (IOC), the Austrian Institute of Technology is hosting this year. The conference takes place every three years and rotates between Europe, Asia and the USA.