The potential is enormous: about 30% of the total industrial heat demand is at temperature levels below 100°C which can be provided with commercially available solar thermal collectors. However, only about 70 installations in Europe were identified by the IEA Task 33 Solar Heat for Industrial Processes.
The Intelligent Energy Europe Programme’s Solar Process Heat (So-Pro) Project therefore aims to trigger the starting-up of markets for solar process heat in six European regions. The project activities include, for example, targeted market development activities, training of professionals, information for industrial decision makers, 12 pilot projects and the development of new services for solar contracting.
The project takes a strategic approach by implementing comprehensive regional campaigns in 6 European regions; carrying out a broad European dissemination, including an international training seminar; and ensuring the impact of the project on European level by bringing together know-how in industrial processes, in solar thermal and in regional market development and by involving the main target groups - industrial and solar companies.
The project is coordinated by the O.Oe. Energiesparverband, the energy agency of Upper Austria, the following partners from six European regions and two scientific partners will implement the project: ESCAN (Spain/Castillias and Madrid regions), Energy Centre České Budějovice (Czech Republic/South Bohemia), GERTEC (Germany/North-Rhine Westphalia), Sächsische Energieagentur (Germany/Saxony), Energy Agency of Podravje (Slovenia/Maribor region), Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.
Energy screenings
One of the first project activities is an energy screening of 90 industrial companies. The aim is to analyse industrial companies which use process heat below 100°C and to learn about application possibilities for solar process heat. These screenings are also the basis of the selection of "priority fields of applications", industrial processes which are sufficiently frequent in the participating regions and which are suitable for the integration of solar thermal installation.
The results of the screenings show that the main constraints are the economic feasibility of such installations and the lack of experiences (best practices) all over Europe. Limiting factors include very low prices for fossil fuels found in many industrial companies (compared to other users) and the availability of waste heat from other process steps.
The most interesting opportunities for solar process heat identified include applications with low temperature levels (below 50° C), no demand interruptions in summer (e.g. due to longer holiday closing period) and where the solar installations can be integrated from the beginning in the planning of the buildings and the energy systems.
Savings of €25,000 per annum
To examine the possibilities of solar process heat, the decision was taken to install a solar process heat system instead of a conventional oil system in a factory in Upper Austria producing pre-fabricated concrete elements for walls and ceilings. The installation has been in operation since December 2009 and consists of 315 square-metres of solar thermal collectors and three buffer storage tanks (12,000 litres each).
The total heat demand to be covered (production and space heating) is about 530,000 kWh/a. In addition to the solar thermal plant, a 200 kW wood chip boiler provides heat. It has been calculated that around 30% of the heat needed for the production and for heating the production facility comes from the solar thermal system.
According to the project coordinators, while the investment in a wood chip and a solar thermal system was some €135,000 higher compared to an oil heating system (which was partly covered by a public subsidy), the project is economically viable, resulting in savings of €25,000 per annum compared to a conventional system.
The benefits for the environment are also substantial, with an estimated 422 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions being saved per year.
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