International collaboration
on research into heat pump technologies

In the International Energy Agency’s heat pump programme (IEA-HPP) information about heat pumps, refrigeration engineering and air-conditioning is generated and disseminated, so that the environmental and energy-relevant potential of these technologies can be exploited more extensively in the member states. Austria’s RTI activities in the field of heat pump technology are tied into this international collaboration. Austrian key organizations participate in various technology initiatives; the main emphasis is on new technologies such as the gas-fired absorption heat pump, on applications for large scale heat pumps in industry and commerce, and on assessing the technical and economic prerequisites for employing electric heat pumps to level loads in smart grids.

Austrian experts are acting as leaders for the following annexes (amongst others):
> IEA HPP Annex 35: Application of industrial heat pumps (leader: Institute of Thermal Engineering, Graz University of Technology)
> IEA HPP Annex 42: Heat pumps in smart grids (leader: AIT)
> IEA-HPP Annex 43: Fuel driven sorption heat pumps (leaders: AIT and Institute of Thermal Engineering, Graz University of Technology)

DI Dr. Thomas Fleckl, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Foto: AIT
Thomas Fleckl, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Photo: AIT
„Within the framework of the IEA heat pump programme new insights, systems and methods for heat pump technologies from national research projects are being brought together. This leads to major gains in knowledge – and thus to further interesting topics for research. Within the IEA platforms AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is at hand here with significant findings especially in the areas ‘Heat pumps and smart grids’, ‘Industrial heat pumps’ and ‘Heat pumps in district heating grids’, as well as various applications for buildings.“
Thomas Fleckl, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH