Assessment of CO2 abatement potential of heat pumps using pinch analysis for the Swiss chocolate industry

Decarbonizing industrial processes is crucial for achieving net-zero targets, with process heat electrification emerging as a key pathway. Heat pumps (HPs) are pivotal for this transition. This study introduces a novel methodology to construct exemplar profiles for specific energy demands, representative profiles for various production capacities, and energy demand profiles at product, subsector, or sector levels, using Swiss chocolate production as a case study. Exemplar profiles offer flexibility in generating representative profiles based on production capacities, aiding in identifying integration opportunities and sizes for HPs. Sector-wide profiles provide a broader perspective, aiding in visualizing bottom-up sector-wide potential for HPs. Through analysis of four representative profiles for Swiss chocolate production, two potential standard heat pump (SHP) and three high-temperature heat pump (HTHP) integration opportunities were identified. Techno-economic data from 30 commercially available HPs were collected, assessing their cost-effectiveness for Swiss chocolate manufacturing using the levelized cost of saved energy and CO2 abatement. Factors such as company size and electricity and natural gas prices impact the cost-effectiveness of HP integration. Despite variations, HPs with real coefficients of performance above 2.6 generally prove cost-effective for average energy prices and current CO2 levies in Swiss chocolate production. Bottom-up estimations of HP integration potentials using product-specific energy demand profiles suggest a potential reduction of CO2 emissions by up to 56% and an improvement in energy efficiency by up to 28% in Swiss chocolate production.