Solar Heat for Industrial Processes

Zvika Klier, TIGI, Petah Tikva, Israel

Heat representes ~50% of all the energy end use in the world, primarily for domestic (shower) needs, space heating and industrial processes. The major renewable solution for heat is the solar thermal collector, widely spread for low target temperatures and warm climate geographies but inefficient where most heat is needed - in cold climate winters and for commercial/ industrial purposes where high target temperaturs are needed. The result - very low penetration of renewables in heat. TIGI developed a new type of solar thermal collector that uses an array of transparent insulation related technologies to dramatically increase the performance of the collecotrs and the heating system. The developed system frequently decreases the cost of heat to lower than all alternatives including other collectors or fossil fuel based heating at short ROI, and prolongs the life of the solution.

These systems started to go on rooftops primarily for large heat users like in food industry, wineries, laundry, commercial hot water for hotel and elderly people's home, pool heating, kitchen with industrial dish washing and hatching farms. Uses with target temperatures in the range of 60-90 deg C can include line washing, pasteurization, large shower needs, and other chemical industry processes. in parallel they are being implemented for residential use in cold climates locations such as in Norway.

With current support and push from goverments all over the world and specifically in Israel post the COP21 Paris convention it seems timely to look into the economical and environmental opportunity of implementing such solar heat systems for large heat users.