China issues action plan to advance its heat pump industry

China’s National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Ministry of Transport, and National Energy Administration jointly released the “Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of the Heat Pump Industry”.

 

The Action Plan aims at raising the energy efficiency of heat pump products by at least 20% and achieving breakthroughs in core technologies, including high-power and high-temperature heat pumps, high-efficiency compressors, and next-generation refrigerants.

 

The Action Plan lays out actions to promote heat pump applications in key sectors, including the construction, industry, agriculture, and transportation sectors. For instance, the Action Plan calls for applying heat pump technology to thermal management in electric vehicles in the transportation sector.

 

Additional highlights from the Action plan include:

• Heat pump inspection and replacement: Conduct comprehensive inspection and assessments of heat pump equipment that has been in operation for over 10 years, and phase out the obsolete, inefficient units.
• Refrigerant transition: Guide heat pump manufacturers to accelerate the phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), restrict the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and support research and development on next-generation low global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerants, including natural refrigerants and HFOs. Strictly control refrigerant leakage and emissions during the production and consumption processes, and promote refrigerant recycling and safe disposal.
• Standardisation: Establish a standardisation system governing the design, production, testing, installation, operation, maintenance, and recycling of heat pumps. This includes introducing standards for heat pumps using natural refrigerants and potentially adding GWP information to heat-pump energy-efficiency labels.
• International cooperation: Showcase China’s heat-pump technologies and case studies at global platforms, including Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Meetings of the Parties (MOPs) to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

 

Find out more on the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) website.