Characterizing sector-wide thermal energy profiles for industrial sectors

Abstract

Process heat electrification, energy efficiency improvement, and renewable technology integration are the most effective ways of achieving industrial decarbonization. However, precise knowledge of thermal energy demands and excess heat sources along with the corresponding temperature levels is imperative for the most optimum integration of aforementioned process. The current study presents a novel methodology for constructing sector-wide composite curves to accurately characterize the thermal energy demands and the available excess heat sources for the Swiss industry subsectors. The sector-wide energy demand profiles derived from this methodology offer valuable insights into the quantity of heat demand and the quality of the available excess heat. Thus, enabling the implementation of energy efficiency and decarbonization technologies such as heat pumps, and renewable heating and cooling technologies. The sector-wide energy demand profiles are built using Pinch Analyses and top-down statistical approach, thus ensuring complete sectoral coverage. The application of this novel approach is demonstrated using Swiss meat and chocolate industry subsectors as case studies. Based on the sector-wide energy demand profiles developed for meat and chocolate production, heat pump integration and solar thermal integration can potentially reduce about 80% of process heat demand, for both sectors.