Thermally driven adsorption heat pumps for substitution of electricity and fossil fuels (THRIVE)

This joint project aims to substitute electricity and fossil fuels used for cooling and heating of buildings in Switzerland with low-grade waste heat from industrial processes and thermal energy from cogeneration, renewables and traditional fuels. The key enabling technology to efficiently utilize these energy carriers is a thermally driven sorption heat pump that provides heating and cooling. Within the project the TA group carries out a sustainability assessment of the proposed heat pump system. The actual research is attributable to three distinct tasks, i.e. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and integrated assessment. Scope and goals of LCA:

• LCA of the manufacturing, operation and disposal/recycling of thermally driven adsorption heat pumps being developed in this project by the project partners with quantification of the potential burdens and impacts on the environment and human health.
• Comparison with alternative heating and cooling technologies as well as comparison of different sources of the remaining electricity need for operating the system

LCC questions to be addressed include:

• Optimizing heat pump design and size
• Possible deviations from economic optimum
• Developing multiple designs and/or sizes
• Assessing the possible aggregate impact

The integrated assessment will be based on the overarching, methodological framework of the TA group, tailored to the needs of the current project. The choice of the appropriate integration procedure will be determined within the project in collaboration with all stakeholders.

The THRIVE project has completed. For more information, please refer to here.

In addition, please refer to the THRIVE Research Project Summary “Sustainability of adsorption heat pumps”.