Heat pumps and our low-carbon future: A comprehensive review

Addressing the growing concerns of climate change necessitates the decarbonisation of energy sectors globally. Heating is the largest energy end-use, accounting for almost half of total energy consumption in most countries. This paper presents an extensive review of previous works on several aspects of heat pumps, including their role in the decarbonisation of the heating sector. In addition, themes related to recent technological advances of heat pumps, as well as, their roles in terms of adding flexibility to renewable-rich systems and carbon abatement are examined. Challenges and barriers facing large-scale deployment of heat pumps are identified. Generally, as the share of renewables in the energy mix increases, heat pumps can play a role in addressing a multitude of problems induced by climate change. The potential of heat pumps to abate emissions, however, is highly dependent on the type of technology, location and electricity mix. Heat pumps can be a source of flexibility in the power system and can upgrade waste heat to provide low-cost heating in district heating networks. They are environment friendly and provide a viable pathway for decarbonising the heating sector. However, economic, regulatory, structural and infrastructural barriers exist, which may hinder heat pump integration rate.