Australia’s industrial sector is a significant contributor to the nation’s carbon emissions, with process heating alone accounting for approximately 11.3 per cent of total emissions.
The heavy reliance on fossil fuels, particularly natural gas and coal, to meet high-temperature heating requirements presents a major obstacle in Australia’s journey to net-zero emissions. Yet as the world pivots towards more sustainable energy sources, new technologies and strategies are emerging that offer a cleaner future.
One such innovation is the ARENA-funded Low-Cost Integration of On-Site Solar PV for Large-Scale Industrial Heat Supply project, which has developed a powerful tool to aid in this transition: the Atlas of On-Site PV for Large-Scale Industrial Heat Supply.
The case for decarbonising industrial heating
Industrial heating, essential in sectors such as manufacturing, chemicals and food production, operates at temperatures often exceeding 150°C. Until now, these processes have been heavily dependent on fossil fuels, making industrial heating one of the most challenging aspects of the energy transition. The scale of the challenge is massive, but so too is the opportunity. As Australia’s commitment to decarbonisation intensifies, industries must explore alternative solutions for process heat that reduce emissions while maintaining economic viability.
While renewable energy has seen rapid growth in sectors like electricity generation, the decarbonisation of industrial heat has lagged behind. The industrial sector’s high energy demands, coupled with the need for continuous, reliable heat, have made it difficult to transition to renewable solutions without disrupting operations or incurring prohibitive costs. To address these barriers, new technologies that harness renewable energy for high-temperature heat applications are urgently needed. This is where photovoltaic direct electric heating (PV-DEH) technology comes into play.
What is PV-DEH?
PV-DEH introduces an innovative approach to industrial heating. Unlike traditional PV systems that rely on inverters and complex power electronics to convert electricity into alternating current (AC), PV-DEH systems bypass these conversions entirely. Instead, direct current (DC) flows directly through a resistive heating element, drastically reducing the BOS (balance-of-system) costs – the non-module components that typically add to the expense of solar PV systems.
This simplified design reduces costs by eliminating the need for multiple converters, transformers and transmission lines, which makes solar energy a cost-competitive alternative for industries requiring high-temperature heat. Furthermore, PV-DEH systems are located behind-the-meter, ensuring energy independence and reliability while avoiding the transmission losses and grid-related costs typically associated with off-site solar.
Mapping the future of industrial PV-DEH
While PV-DEH presents a promising technology, its successful implementation across Australia’s industrial sector requires comprehensive, site-specific data to evaluate where this solution can be most effectively deployed. This is where the Atlas of On-Site PV for Large-Scale Industrial Heat Supply comes into action – a critical tool that helps industries, energy planners, and policymakers assess where solar PV can replace fossil-fuel-based heating.
Developed by Australian National University (ANU), the Atlas is a comprehensive geospatial tool that combines GIS (geographic information system) analysis with data from several key sources: the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI), the Safeguard Mechanism, the Global Solar Atlas, and others. It identifies 1,020 industrial sites that could potentially transition to PV-DEH for their heating needs.
The Atlas provides 55 data points for each industrial site, including:
- Onsite solar potential: estimates of PV capacity and annual generation based on available rooftops, carparks, and open land
- Offsite solar potential: heatmaps showing low-cost near-site solar opportunities within varying radii (5km, 10km, 20km, 50km)
- Process heat demand: estimates of annual process heat demand at industrial sites, based on emissions data from the Safeguard Mechanism
- Cost-effective analysis: the Atlas calculates indicative costs for offsite solar energy, factoring in installation costs, transmission, and land use types
- Interactive tools: the Atlas provides links to raster TIF and KML files, enabling easy access and visualisation in Google Earth and further analysis in GIS platforms
This data is crucial for understanding where to invest in PV-DEH systems and how industries can begin the transition to renewable industrial heating.
Broader implications of the Atlas
The Atlas serves as a useful tool in accelerating Australia’s industrial decarbonisation by providing businesses with the information they need to make informed decisions about adopting solar-driven heating technologies. The visualisation of solar potential is particularly important for industries with complex energy needs, as it can reveal hidden opportunities for PV deployment that might not be immediately obvious from standard energy assessments.
Beyond just helping industries transition to cleaner energy, the Atlas has the potential to inform policy development and regional planning for the rollout of large-scale solar energy systems. The Atlas can guide investments in solar infrastructure and help to direct incentives and subsidies where they are most needed, through identifying areas with abundant solar resources and relatively low installation costs. It can also assist in the integration of offsite solar solutions, which are crucial for sites that lack sufficient land for onsite PV deployment.
Limitations and next steps
While the Atlas offers valuable insights, it is important to note that the dataset is based on high-level estimates. Several factors can influence the accuracy of the data, including inaccuracies in site boundary identification, the incomplete capture of land available for PV from sources like OpenStreetMap, and variations in actual process heat demand that are not fully captured by the current methodology. Additionally, the Atlas relies on US industry benchmarks to estimate process heat demand, which may not perfectly reflect the specific characteristics of Australian industries.
As such, the Atlas should be viewed as an initial screening tool rather than a definitive feasibility study. The next step will involve ground truthing the data through engagement with industrial site owners and operators. Feedback from stakeholders, particularly those able to provide actual site data, will allow for fine-tuning the estimates and improving the accuracy of the projections. Moreover, further refinement of assumptions will enable businesses and decision-makers to model more customised scenarios tailored to their specific needs.
Pathway to a low-carbon future
The PV-DEH Atlas is a powerful example of how innovative technologies combined with data-driven decision-making can accelerate the transition to renewable energy. As the Atlas evolves, it will continue to provide the critical information needed to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy solutions, ensuring a smoother and more cost-effective transition to a low-carbon future for Australia’s industrial sector.
With continued collaboration, refinement, and stakeholder engagement, the PV-DEH technology, supported by tools like the Atlas, has the potential to become a cornerstone of Australia’s renewable energy transition.
The ANU RE100 map is accessible at re100.anu.edu.au
