Christoph Brunner1, Hans Schnitzer1,2, Bettina Slawitsch1, Werner WeiB3

1JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH — Institute of Sustainable Techniques and Systems

Elisabethstrasse 16, A-8010 Graz
Tel.: +43-316 / 876 2413, Fax: +43-316 / 8769 2413
E-Mail: bettina. slawitsch@joanneum. at
2 Institute for process engineering (IPE), Technical university Graz
Inffeldgasse 21, A-8010 Graz

3 AEE INTEC Feldgasse 19, 8200 Gleisdorf

Abstract

In the framework of the IEA Task 33 SHIP Solar Heat for Industrial Processes, several case studies were conducted to analyse the feasibility and the ideal integration of solar process heat for industrial companies. This effort was assisted by an Austrian national project „Styrian Promise (Production with solar energy) — Initiative for use of energy-efficiency and renewable energies (solar process-heat) in Styrian companies”. In Styria, 10 case studies were conducted in 2007 in order to develop concepts for energy conservation and for the implementation of solar heat. The suggested measures in terms of heat-integration, technological innovations and the use of solar process-heat result in savings that amount to more than 28 Mio. kWh/a for all 10 companies, implying an annual reduction of 5.830 t CO2. The economically recommended collector-area for those companies, for which the solar plant was thoroughly examined, was 2.790 m2 in total for 5 of 10 companies.

The work with industrial companies has proved that solar integration can be a good option for some industrial companies from an economic and technological point of view. However, the reduction of energy demand has to be the first step, before an efficient and sustainable solar process plant can be designed.

1. Introduction

In the framework of the IEA Task 33 SHIP Solar Heat for Industrial Processes, several case studies were conducted to analyse the feasibility and the ideal integration of solar process heat for industrial companies. This effort was assisted by an Austrian national project „Styrian Promise (Production with solar energy) — Initiative for use of energy-efficiency and renewable energies (solar process-heat) in Styrian companies”, which was funded by the Styrian government, FA3 Science and Research. This project was conducted under the lead of JOANNEUM RESEARCH Institute of Sustainable Techniques and Systems and in close cooperation with AEE INTEC and the Technical University of Graz.

Aim of the project „Styrian Promise“ was to explore the solar-thermal potential in Styria for industrial and commercial companies and to implement a reasonable combination, in energetic and

economic terms, of energy-efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources, especially solar process-heat, in Styrian production companies. The IEA Task 33 SHIP posed an excellent opportunity to discuss the project results on an international level and the Austrian experiences have also lead to important conclusions for the outcomes of subtask B within the IEA Task 33 SHIP.