Solar Thermal Energy for Industrial Technology

Abstract

The Lebanese industrial sector is not stacked with large industries; instead, many small and medium sized industries are spread all over the Lebanese geography. As with any sector, the industrial sector faces many challenges, with two prominent problems being the lack of sustainable infrastructure and the inaccessibility to cheap energy. As stated previously, the latest official consensus conducted by the Ministry of Industry, highlights these problems (Industrial Information Authority, 2020). The relatively elevated energy bill that the industries need to pay at the end of each month is enormous, and without a solution to this problem, these industries will not be able to operate continuously and might even have to shut their operations. Being able to reduce energy costs will end up saving on manufacturing costs. This will, in turn, give the manufacturer a competitive advantage in the local market, and the latter will be able to price its products more efficiently. Renewable energy can be a viable solution to such problems. It is gaining more worldwide acceptance as a reliable and sustainable source of energy, which can be installed at residential/ consumer level or at utility and industry levels. Going one step further, renewable energy can be used to reduce the energy bill for the small and medium Lebanese enterprises. There are two main ways such systems can be used, either to produce electricity or to produce energy (heat) that can be used directly or that can feed into a thermodynamic process indirectly. Solar energy is the conversion of irradiation into heat. Such systems can be complemented by another process. So, the concept is to collect, gather and store solar radiation from one side, and then use this heat/ energy to run a thermodynamic/ chemical process. This is done by converting the heat into energy (Mekhilef et al., 2011). Other common use of solar energy is to produce electricity. This can be done either directly by the use of photovoltaic panels, or via concentrated solar power technologies. However, this type of solar energy use will not be discussed in this thesis.

This paper sheds light on a specific type of renewable energy technology which can be implemented on the industrial sector of Lebanon, generating solar thermal energy for industrial heat and cooling processes and needs. The processes are numerous, such as energy for heating, cooling, pressing, refining, blending, molding, etc. Almost all types of industries use such processes in their daily operations. More specifically, the study will focus on the design of a solar thermal energy system, with the aim to produce cooling and heating. The former can be produced by the refrigeration systems and the heating can be produced by heat pump systems.

The study will be complemented by a pilot study on a specific industry and a technical and financial feasibility study will be conducted. The goal is to see and test if such technology can be implemented and how it can serve the purpose for local industries in lowering their energy costs.