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Is Solar Thermal a Trillion Dollar Opportunity?
Decarbonizing industrial processes running 24/7 at temperatures above the limits of heat pumps and at costs on par with natural gas is hard. Though much energy consumption can be electrified, the IEA still predicts industrial process heat to be liable for 57% of global carbon emissions by 2060.
By integrating solar thermal solutions into the existing fossil-based heat production, utilities may be able to mitigate this scenario while meeting their customers' demand for clean and affordable heat.
In this article, I estimate
the market potential for solar-generated industrial process heat in the 120⁰C-220⁰C range. Annually, industrial processes use +8,000 TWh of heat in this temperature range.
the price level solar thermal solutions need to meet in order to become competitive with natural gas in each US state, in Europe, and likely in most of the rest of the world.
I very much welcome insights, comments, questions, and recommendations from the Energy Central community (to which I am brand new).
Thanks, Jakob
Is Solar Thermal a Trillion Dollar Opportunity?
Solar thermal can produce clean heat to run processes that cause a third of global carbon emissions. In this article, I argue that a $1 Trillion pot of gold may await the right solutions.
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