COMHPTES is a European research project developing a compact, modular system that supplies industry with both heat and cooling from renewable energy and waste heat. Absolicon is adapting its T160 Solar collector so that solar heat can be fed directly into the system’s heat pump.
Many factories need heat and cold at the same time. Steam for cooking, cleaning or sterilising, and chilled water for cooling products. COMHPTES combines three technologies in one system: a high-temperature heat pump that uses CO₂ as its working fluid, compact storage units for heat and for cold, and concentrating solar collectors. Together, they can capture energy when it is cheap and plentiful and deliver heat up to 225°C and cooling at 5°C when the factory needs it.
The project is coordinated by KTH Royal Institute of Technology and brings together five partners from Sweden, Spain and the UK. The complete system will be built and tested in KTH’s laboratory.
Project overview
| Project period | December 2024 – November 2027 |
|---|---|
| Project status | Ongoing |
| Funding | Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten), within the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETPartnership) Joint Call 2023. |
| Project coordinator | KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) |
| Project partners | Absolicon Solar Collector AB (Sweden), MG Sustainable Engineering AB (Sweden), Build To Zero (Spain), SynchroStor (UK) |
| Absolicon’s role | Adapting the Absolicon T160 Solar collector to run with CO₂, and developing a more compact, roof-friendly mounting structure |
Background and challenge
In many industries, most of the energy used goes to producing heat and cold. In food, beverage and pharmaceutical production, the same plant may need process steam and refrigeration at the same time, in amounts that vary over the day.
Around a quarter of the EU’s industrial heat demand is at temperatures up to 225°C. Much of it is used by small and medium-sized industries with a heat demand of 0.5-10 MW, roughly half of all industrial sites in the EU. These companies often face the same practical barriers to switching to renewable heat:
- Limited space. Many are located in urban industrial areas with little room for on-site renewable energy.
- High upfront investment. New energy technologies often mean large investments with payback times of more than seven years.
- Low tolerance for risk. Production cannot be disrupted, so new solutions must be reliable from day one.
This calls for energy systems that are compact, can be expanded step by step as needs and budgets allow, and make the most of renewable energy and waste heat.
COMHPTES addresses this with a modular system. Its storage units use phase-change materials, materials that absorb large amounts of heat as they melt and release it again as they solidify. This makes them far more compact than conventional storage tanks. On the cold side, ice is used to store cooling in the same way.
Absolicon’s contribution
Concentrating solar collectors can give the heat pump a boost, helping the system reach higher temperatures more efficiently. However, no commercial solar collector is currently designed to run with CO₂ at the high pressures used in this type of heat pump. Absolicon’s work focuses on closing that gap:
- Adapting the T160 for CO₂. Absolicon is re-engineering its T160 Solar collector so that CO₂ can flow directly through it and connect straight into the heat pump. The work covers the receiver tube (the pipe that absorbs the concentrated sunlight), the joints between collectors, the optimal collector length and how collectors are connected in rows.
- A more compact, roof-friendly structure. Today, a 22 m² T160 unit is anchored at 11 fixing points. Absolicon is developing a support structure with fewer fixing points and tilted, stepped rows that reduce shading between rows. The aim is to reduce the footprint by 15% and make installation simpler on industrial rooftops. Designs will be developed for sunny regions at latitudes of 25-35°.
Absolicon also provides input to the industrial case studies and to how solar heat is emulated in the laboratory tests.
Expected results and impact
By the end of the project in 2027, the complete system is planned to have been tested in the laboratory at a scale of more than 100 kW, running for at least 300 hours under conditions that mimic at least four real industrial applications.
The project is expected to contribute to:
- A new high-temperature heat pump that uses CO₂, a natural and non-toxic refrigerant, and can deliver heat and cooling from the same machine
- Compact heat and cold storage, with a target cost below EUR 15 per kWh of stored heat
- Lower emissions and fossil fuel use in sectors such as food and beverages, paper and pharmaceuticals
- Modular systems that let companies invest step by step, reducing upfront costs and risk
- A CO₂-ready version of the Absolicon T160 Solar collector and a more compact mounting structure, with a roadmap towards manufacturing
- Independent analysis of costs and of environmental and social impact, summarized in a policy paper for decision-makers
Funding
This project is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten) within the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETPartnership), Joint Call 2023.
Absolicon receives funding from the Swedish Energy Agency covering 70% of its eligible project costs and co-finances the remaining part.
