Renewable Energy for Process Heat Opportunity Study
- $473k Funded by ARENA
- $949k Total project cost
Summary
This Renewable Energy for Process Heat Opportunity Study aims to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy in industrial and commercial process heating.
Need
Process heating currently accounts for the largest share of fossil fuel use in Australian manufacturing, with renewable energy technologies historically being unable to compete financially.
The project involves identifying potential demonstration projects that can integrate renewable energy technologies into existing industrial and commercial heating processes.
Trials will focus on agriculture, dairy, food and beverage manufacturing, textiles/leather, paper manufacturing, and commercial laundries, and will be delivered in two stages:
- A market scan will be conducted during stage one to review renewable technologies and opportunities in Australia. Ten sites will be selected for pre-feasibility studies of technical and commercial potential.
- Stage two involves five selected sites progressing to a full feasibility study and development of individual business cases that could support implementation.
Learn more
Report: Renewable Energy for Process Heat Opportunity Study
This report provides an overview of the Renewable Energy for Process Heat Opportunity Study project.
Media Release: Reducing Emissions in Manufacturing Industry Through Renewable Energy in Process Heating
ARENA announced funding to the Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity to investigate opportunities for using renewables in process heating in manufacturing.
Action
The recipient will work with businesses to develop studies to provide improvements to process heating supplied by boilers, steam/hot water systems and direct process heating (with a focus on heating applications up to 95°C).
The studies will identify and consider opportunities such as:
- heat pumps and other electricity technologies (where supplied by increased use of renewable energy) such as microwave, induction, mechanical vapour recompression
- renewable options including solar thermal, and biomass/biogas
- non-thermal approaches which may reduce or replace thermal load such as mechanical dewatering (e.g. membrane technology or centrifuges, high pressure processing).
Associated storage (electrical, thermal, material) and demand management/controls as required.
Outcome
This project aims to increase the uptake of renewable energy through:
- direct application of renewable energy for process heating
- application of high temperature heat pumps, which use renewable electricity and/or very efficiently transfer heat from the
- surrounding environment to the industrial process
- application of other energy productivity technologies, together with increased use of renewable electricity.
Read more about renewables for industry.
Read more
A2EP has developed a website to build awareness and share success stories of how commercially available technologies such as industrial heat pumps and thermal batteries can be used to decarbonise process heat across a range of sectors.
ARENAWIRE Blogs
Heat pumps electrifying industrial processes
Manufacturers are being supported to scope the feasibility of using renewable energy to produce heat.
Renewable energy brings heat to manufacturing
Manufacturing the products we rely on in our day-to-day lives is an energy hungry business.
