Performance and economic analysis of solar-heat pump system for process steam supply in industrial sector

Various industries heavily rely on heat derived primarily from fossil fuels, significantly contributing to global carbon dioxide emissions and exacerbating the climate crisis. Transitioning to renewable energy sources is imperative to address this issue, particularly in the industrial sector. High-temperature heat pumps are efficient at supplying process steam but often lack evaporation heat sources. Solar thermal systems provide an environmentally friendly alternative, but their integration for industrial steam supply remains largely underexplored. This study proposes that a solar-heat pump system, with a novel system configuration developed for the first time in this study, offers a viable and sustainable solution for process steam supply. To evaluate its performance and economic viability, a system capable of producing 1 t/h of steam was designed, and its annual performance was assessed through simulations using Simulink, considering different storage tank volumes and solar collector areas. The economic analysis was conducted based on the performance data. The results demonstrate that the proposed system can effectively replace conventional industrial steam boilers, with an optimal design point of a solar collector area of 1,500 m2 and a storage tank volume of 200 m3, achieving a payback period of 3.17 years. This study affirms that solar-heat pump systems can make a substantial contribution to decarbonization in the industrial sector.