Demonstration of industrial excess/waste heat conversion to mechanical or electrical power

This Destination targets the energy demand side, notably a more efficient use of energy in buildings and industry. It contributes to the activities of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) and its implementation working groups.

This Destination contributes directly to the Strategic Plan’s Key Strategic Orientations ‘Green transition’, ‘Digital transition’ and ‘A more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe’.

In line with the Strategic Plan, the overall expected impact of this Destination is to contribute to the ‘Using energy in buildings and industry in an efficient, affordable and sustainable way’.

The main impacts to be generated by topics under this Destination are:

Highly energy-efficient and climate neutral European building stock

1. The energy performance of the European building stock is improved at an accelerated pace, contributing to the EU's energy security, while the buildings and the built environment have reduced climate and environmental impact throughout their life cycle.
2. The energy renovation and construction of buildings are cost-efficient, affordable and less disruptive.
3. The buildings are increasingly interacting with the users, energy system and their environment while operating in an integrated, resilient, secure, smart and flexible manner.
4. The buildings and the built environment are more climate resilient, accessible, inclusive and delivers multiple benefits which improve the quality of life, health and well-being for all users.

Industry

1. The energy efficiency of EU energy intensive industries is improved, their consumption of fossil fuel and their GHG and other pollutants emissions are drastically reduced, notably through cost-effective electrification, use of renewable energy, heat recovery, thereby preserving / enhancing their global competitiveness.

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in General Annex B of the General Annexes.

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Based on the results of the project, at least one industrial sector with a significant heating demand in the EU and Associated Countries develops pathways and business models to measurably increase the industrial excess/waste heat recovery and conversion to power.
• Measurable improvement of industrial excess/waste heat recovery and conversion to power, possibly combined with energy storage, in terms of energy efficiency, flexibility of electricity production, climate and environment protection, reliability and safety, physical and cyber security, and profitability.

Scope:

Better use of process excess/waste heat represents a significant source of energy savings for industries. The conversion of excess heat back to electricity, would improve energy efficiency, mitigate the increase of electricity consumption due to industrial electrification, as well as offer flexible electricity generation to stabilise the grid, if combined with thermal and/or electrical energy storage.

Projects must address all the following items:

• Develop and validate novel excess/waste heat recovery and conversion systems.
• Demonstrate physically within one or more operational industrial site(s), the recovery of industrial excess/waste heat, possibly combined with energy storage, and its conversion to mechanical or electrical power.
• Maximise the replicability and deployment of the concept/solution in the EU and Associated Countries’ plants in the same industrial sector. Already before starting the design phase, the needs of most EU and Associated Countries’ factories in the same industrial sector(s) should be surveyed and analysed in order to design a solution that can be adapted to meet most of them.
• Identify common components, optimise and define a standardised version of them.
• Develop open technical and economical guidelines and open tools for integrating such systems into SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and EMS (Energy Management System) infrastructures of existing plants, and for developing innovative business model of heat valorisation as a flexible electricity generation offered to stabilise the power grid.
• Disseminate results notably (but not only) to the relevant communities in cluster 4 ‘Digital, Industry and Space’ private-public partnerships.

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