dc.description.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. |