South Korea KIMM heat‑pump development

In July 2026, the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) unveiled a solar‑heat‑pump system for industrial sites. The project, called iTOP and SoHProtes, evaluates dozens of heat‑supply options and recommends configurations based on site data. A 300 kW installation at a food‑processing plant in Gimpo operated for over 1½ years, demonstrating the technology’s ability to replace fossil‑fuel boilers with low‑carbon heat sources.

By early August 2026, KIMM, together with Chung‑Ang University and Samjung Tech, announced a next‑generation waste‑heat heat pump for cooling. The 10 kW prototype uses low‑temperature waste heat (≈40 °C) from factories or data centres, combining a chemical adsorption bed with an electro‑chemical compressor that has no moving parts. It delivers more than twice the specific cooling power of comparable technologies and uses ammonia as a natural refrigerant. Field trials are under way for noise‑sensitive environments such as hospitals and schools.

Together, the two projects illustrate KIMM’s expanding portfolio of heat‑pump technologies, moving from solar‑thermal heating for industry to waste‑heat‑driven cooling for a broader range of applications, all aimed at improving energy efficiency and supporting carbon‑neutral goals.