Solar-thermal energy can be used to replace fossil fuels in a range of industrial applications, such as refineries for petroleum and chemical production as well as iron and steel cement, and the food and beverage industry, which make up 15 percent of U.S. the economy’s total carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions.
Heating is essential for creating nearly every item we use daily – from textiles and cosmetics to computer chips and steel. Within the United States, fossil fuels accounted for 90 percent of all heat energy for manufacturing processes in 2014. This is one of the significant reasons why industry accounts for about one-third of all co2 emissions from fuel. 2. emissions.
Concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) techniques use mirrors to focus sunlight onto a receiver that can quickly reach high temperatures. When CSP is utilized to process manufacturing processes in the industrial sector, concentrating sunlight is used to heat a heat transfer fluid, which is utilized to provide heat to storage or supply the required heat to industrial power processes, referred to as industrial heating. Industrial heat is the heat that can transform raw substances into valuable products. Converting sunlight directly into thermal energy can reduce energy loss, making its use in industrial processes extremely efficient and economical. In some instances, the targeted sunlight could be directly delivered to the thermal conversion procession and at the appropriate temperature, eliminating the requirement for intermediary materials and techniques.
Photovoltaic solar (PV) techniques, also known as solar panels, are utilized to generate electric power for heaters that are used for industrial processes. Most industrial heat is produced using fossil fuels, limiting PV application space. However, there is a change in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is attempting to create a new institute that will drive industrial decarbonization through the electrification of process heat.
HOW IS SOLAR POWER BEING USED FOR INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES?
Solar-thermal power can produce heat in a broad temperature range, ranging between 400degC and more than 1000degC, depending on how the system is constructed. This makes CSP suitable for a wide range of industrial uses, from very low-temperature food production processes to chemical processes that demand high temperatures. CSP can also produce heat for industrial processes like improved oil recovery, mineral processing, cement manufacturing, as well as the production of steel and iron. Researchers are working on techniques using CSP to create solar-powered fuels.
Solar-Powered Food Production
Currently, CSP technologies are used for heating in the U.S. food and beverage industry, such as the processing of nuts and pasteurizing dairy. Horizon Nut has collaborated with Sunvapor to generate heat through CSP to produce steam used directly to cook, blanch, and roast nuts such as almonds and pistachios, enabling the process, which is otherwise energy-intensive, with renewable energy. Another project was to incorporate CSP into pasteurizing dairy in a cheese factory. In addition, Sandia National Laboratories conducted a fun experiment. They made use of thermal energy to roast the chiles in a batch.
Solar Desalination
CSP is also used to desalinate water across the United States. Eliminating salt from seawater or any other brackish waters can be costly, energy-intensive, and disrupt ecosystems. However, companies such as Trevi Systems, Inc. use thermal energy generated by CSP to heat the water and separate the additives used in desalination from pure water. It not only rids the water of the additives employed in the desalination process but also permits those additives to be reused, making water desalination more efficient on resources. It can also purify water derived from gas and oil pipelines and wells. It can also clean concentrated brines and a few industrial and agricultural wastewaters.