Improving the efficient coupling of energy demands is vital for industrial decarbonization, flexibility, and cost savings. This work is part of the Horizon Europe FLEXIndustries project, founded on a holistic strategy to deploy energy efficiency and flexibility solutions. The Italian demonstrator is SUANFARMA Italia, a pharmaceutical company based in Rovereto (TN, Italy). The industrial facility is characterized by energy-intensive production processes and diverse demands for energy services and utilities. Its multi-vector energy system and proximity to Rovereto’s district heating network (operated by Novareti), make it an ideal site to showcase the potential of collaboration between companies pursuing decarbonization. The pharmaceutical site’s 10 °C cooling demand and the district heating’s 90 °C hot water perfectly suit the adoption of a MW-scale double-effect high-temperature heat pump for combined heating and cooling. Developed by HiRef, within the Italian cluster coordinated by Fondazione Bruno Kessler, the heat pump delivers 0.99 MWth of cooling at 10 °C and 1.25 MWth of useful heat at 90 °C. The manufacturer selected R515B, thanks to its suitability in industrial applications with strict fire safety requirements. Compliant with F-gas regulations, R515B has a low GWP of 239 and is classified as A1 (non-flammable). The heat pump will supply 3.9 GWh/year to the DHN and 2.9 GWh/year of useful cooling to the industrial site.
Visit the project’s website here.
