Barriers to Solar Process Heat Applications
Abstract
In this work, barriers to solar process heat (SPH) applications are described as experienced mainly in two German research and demonstration projects on SPH. Being aware of already published studies the authors focus explicitly on selected topics based on their observations and discussions with project partners from universities, research institutes and industry, instead of giving an overall view of possible market barriers. The knowledge gained by monitoring and optimising solar process heat systems is documented. Two main findings beside others are, that solar process heat in comparison to conventional heat generation can only be applied successfully by developing standards and that the documentation and publication of well-operating pilot plants in the industrial sector must go on to serve as best practice examples. In the frame of the project Solare-Prozesswärme-Standards (Solar Process Heat Standards, Sol-Pro-St), which is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) e.g., simulations of thermal processes on a temperature above 75°C with the software MATLAB®/Simulink® and the toolbox CARNOT1 showed specific solar yields of 400 kWh/m2a for a SPH plant for an electroplating company. Such yields lead to payback periods of approximately 16 years and can be one of the main reasons for the industry not to invest in solar technologies. As a result, in this project three out of four industrial partners opted out of an investment in solar thermal systems and implemented measures of energy saving, installed a new and more efficient gas fired boiler or a cogeneration appliance instead. With the fourth partner negotiations are still in process.