Feasibility study on solar thermal process heat in the beverage industry

Highlights: • Solar steam generation is a CO₂-free energy solution for industrial-urban symbiosis. • New analytical energy model for the simulation of a solar steam boiler system. • Scenario analysis shows the technical feasibility and a high share of solar energy. • Solar thermal steam production can be profitable in mid-latitude regions. Solar energy provides a minor percentage of the thermal demand of industrial processes globally. This paper proposes a new analytical energy model for the simulation of a solar thermal steam boiler system to be integrated into an industrial environment with steam parameters at 180 °C. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the influence of solar irradiation on the share of solar steam generation and to clarify how the levelised costs of energy are influenced by different technical and economic parameters. A solar steam boiler system with parabolic trough collectors is modelled and simulations for two scenarios of 1.5 and 2.0 MW thermal output at annual irradiation of 919 kWh/(m²a) were carried out. According to the results of the feasibility study a solar share of 17–23 % of total annual steam generation is feasible without the integration of a thermal storage. Levelised costs of solar steam generation of 55–60 EUR/MWh were determined under current market conditions at mid-latitude regions. The proposed concept can benefit the wider integration of solar process heat. Beyond a solution for the production process, the integration into a connected district heating network offers further potential to reduce its primary energy factor.