Decarbonizing industrial heat is crucial for reducing global CO₂ emissions and transitioning towards sustainable energy systems. KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, a key partner in the SUSHEAT project, is actively contributing to this mission. At two recent conferences, SolarPACES 2024 and Enerstock 2024, KTH presented distinct aspects of their research, each targeting innovative solutions to decarbonize industrial heat generation. These research results represent significant milestones for the SUSHEAT project.
SolarPACES 2024: KTH Highlights Economic Benefits of Solar Energy Solutions for Better Industrial Heating
From October 8 to 11, the KTH team, including Mateo Sanclemente, Silvia Trevisan, and Rafael Guedez, presented their research at the 30th SolarPACES 2024 Conference in Rome, Italy. The event, which focused on Concentrating Solar Power, Thermal, and Chemical Energy Systems, brought together over 500 researchers and industry experts to address global energy challenges. At this collaborative platform, KTH demonstrated their techno-economic assessment of a solar hybrid system with a high-temperature heat pump for industrial heat generation. Their research examined the use of pressurized water as a heat transfer fluid (HTF), an innovative approach for generating industrial heat.
In the context of SUSHEAT project, this hybrid system uses solar energy to heat water and generate steam at 175°C. A high-temperature heat pump (HT-HP) helps when there’s not enough solar energy, making the system more efficient. KTH’s model tests how well the system works in real industrial settings, taking into account factors like waste heat quality, electricity costs, and how much energy is stored.
The research is applied to a case study in a dairy factory in Greece, demonstrating how renewable energy solutions can reduce dependency on fossil fuels in industrial processes. The study’s results are promising for industries looking to meet heat demand while minimizing costs and emissions.
To explore the conference discussions and access the research papers in detail, please visit the SolarPACES 2024 Conference Proceedings.
Enerstock 2024: KTH Unveils Advanced Lab Rig Design to Transform Industrial Heat Generation
Earlier this year, KTH shared another key aspect of the SUSHEAT project at the Enerstock 2024 Conference, held from June 5-7 in Lyon, France. Focused on innovative energy storage solutions, the conference provided a strategic platform for KTH to showcase their research work on designing and engineering a laboratory rig that integrates a high-temperature heat pump and thermal energy storage for industrial heat generation.
Led by KTH doctoral student Mateo Sanclemente Lozano, the presentation detailed the development of this lab rig, designed to test the combined performance of the heat pump and Phase Change Material (PCM) thermal energy storage. These technological innovations are essential to SUSHEAT project’s mission of decarbonising industrial heat generation. The lab rig simulates real-world industrial conditions, allowing researchers to validate how these technologies perform in fluctuating heat demand and availability scenarios. The goal is to create a system capable of operating efficiently at temperatures up to 250°C, a critical requirement for industrial applications like manufacturing and food production.
This laboratory rig serves as a testing ground for innovations that could transform how industries approach heat production, integrating waste heat recovery with renewable energy sources. For more details, read the KTH Conference Paper, and explore the Enerstock 2024 Conference Proceedings.
Both presentations highlight the multifaceted approach of the SUSHEAT project to decarbonizing industrial heat. While the SolarPACES presentation focused on techno-economic modelling of hybrid solar-heat pump systems for industrial steam generation, the Enerstock presentation emphasized the experimental validation of these systems in a controlled lab environment.
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