Prof. Dr. Andreas Häberle

In Switzerland the industry share of the total energy demand is 19 %. Half of this energy is used for the conversion to process heat and is mainly provided by fossil fuels [SFOE, Swiss national statistics 2014]. In a feasibility study the use of solar process heat by systems with solar thermal collectors therefore shows great potential and will in more detail examine the integration in the energy supply systems. In this study we restrict to a temperature range below 130 °C. For this purpose, it is necessary to identify the Swiss companies, which have the majority of the thermal energy consumption at temperatures below 130 °C. Furthermore, within the framework of the project, standardized system solutions for the planning and integration of a solar thermal system will be developed on the basis of three case studies. The focus lays on the yield calculation of the plant taking the location into account, the costs for the collector field and integration as well as the CO₂ savings by replacing fossil fuels through solar energy.

The city of Cuenca in Ecuador is committed to sustainable development and decarbonization and aims to become an Energy City (modelled on the Swiss Energy City). To achieve this ambitious goal, the implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies is being driven forward, involving all major energy consumers, especially in the industrial sector. In 2019, the industrial sector in the city consumed 2,445,000 barrels of oil equivalent, mainly from fossil fuels. In this project, a solar thermal system will be created for a dairy processing plant to directly reduce its CO2 emissions. In cooperation with the university and the city council of Cuenca, a potential study for Ecuador and a multiplication strategy will be developed.