Potential study for solar thermal energy application in the industry

The application of solar thermal systems has so far been concentrated on the areas of hot water preparation and heating assistance for single and multiple family houses. The Austrian industry uses an energy amount of 269 PJ yearly and is hence the sector with the highest demand in the country. Although a reasonable amount of this demand is at a low temperature level, the application of solar thermal systems for the preparation of process heat has yet not been examined.

A “Fabrik der Zukunft” – “factory of tomorrow” should be focused on a sustainable development. This would need a full change towards renewable resources regarding materials and production of energy as well. Managers of theses companies need the following information to make their decisions towards a sustainable energy supply with solar thermal systems:

• Documentation of successful solar thermal systems which are used to produce process heat in industry
• Analysis of existing heating systems for the integration of solar thermal heat into production processes
• System concepts for solar heating of production halls
• Potential of solar thermal heat supply for production processes and heating of production halls
• Case studies to motivate the realisation of demonstration plants

The above mentioned items are the main tasks of the project with the aim to investigate the low temperature energy demand of the Austrian industry and trade companies. Basing on this survey the possibilities of the application of solar thermal systems will be worked out, taking a closer look at the branches of industry, the processes, the economic boundary conditions and the solar technology that is available on the market. The main focus will be given on industry branches that can be supplied with state of the art solar collectors, but also the potential of areas that need further research and development in the technology to be opened for the supply with solar process heat will be stated.

Case studies for companies with a high potential for the realisation of a solar thermal system are a substantial part of the project.