On April 9, 2026, the 2MW / 600°C-class ultra-high-temperature heat pump energy storage demonstration project, jointly developed by Huzhou Industrial Control Technology Research Institute and Zhejiang Luchu Technology Co., Ltd., successfully achieved full-load operation at Xisai Science Valley in Huzhou.
This project represents the highest-temperature heat pump energy storage demonstration project among those built and under construction globally. It integrates Luchu Technology’s proprietary ultra-high-temperature heat pump energy storage technology with advanced control technologies from Huzhou Industrial Control Technology Research Institute. The system upgrades industrial waste heat into high-grade thermal energy through compression and expansion processes. Molten salt is used as the thermal storage medium, enabling stable heat release when needed to generate high-quality steam for industrial applications or power generation.
The project utilizes air as the heat pump working fluid and molten salt as the heat storage medium. It has an electrical input power of approximately 1.5 MW and a heating capacity of about 2 MW. Waste heat at 45°C is utilized, achieving a system coefficient of performance (COP) of 1.41. With higher waste heat temperatures, the COP can exceed 2 under various operating scenarios. The compressor inlet temperature reaches 355°C, with outlet temperatures up to the 600°C level. The molten salt storage temperature reaches 565°C, producing superheated steam at 540°C. The system will undergo long-duration reliability testing under steady-state operating conditions.
The 600°C-class ultra-high-temperature heat pump technology can convert curtailed wind and solar electricity into thermal energy, replacing conventional fossil-fuel boilers while providing energy storage capabilities. It is suitable for multiple applications, including renewable energy integration, long-duration energy storage, and flexible peak shaving for thermal power plants. By significantly improving overall energy efficiency, this technology can effectively reduce fossil fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, offering a scalable and replicable engineering solution to support China’s “dual carbon” goals.
Construction of the project began in July 2025, and full-load operation was achieved within just nine months. The successful integration and coordinated operation of three subsystems—ultra-high-temperature heat pump heating, molten salt thermal storage, and salt-to-water heat exchange for steam generation—demonstrate safe and stable full-load performance. This achievement highlights the strong capabilities of both organizations in system integration and engineering implementation of heat pump energy storage, as well as their expertise in complex energy system control, process safety management, and intelligent dispatching. It marks a significant step forward in the engineering deployment and high-reliability control of heat pump energy storage systems in China.
The successful implementation of this project is expected to become a landmark demonstration for advancing green industrial energy use, improving energy system efficiency, and promoting low-carbon energy structures. Huzhou Industrial Control Technology Research Institute will continue to optimize high-precision, fast-response load control strategies, enhance anti-surge and anti-blocking protection technologies for compressors under high-temperature and high-pressure-ratio conditions, and further develop coordinated control technologies for multi-unit series and parallel operation, thereby strengthening system safety, robustness, and economic performance under extreme operating conditions.
