BOILERS, PUMPS & VALVES
ASSESSING THE OPTIONS FOR ELECTRIFYING INDUSTRIAL HEATING
I
ndustrial heat demand amounts to more than 20 per cent of global energy consumption. This means that the decarbonisation of industrial heat is essential to meet net-zero targets, and the move to electrify a wide range of processes and equipment from space heating to furnaces is one of the most obvious ways to achieve this. The electrification of industrial heating processes can also deliver other benefits including greater energy efficiency and lower energy costs.
However, there are numerous barriers which make the move to electricity challenging, such as economics, technical ability, a lack of knowledge and infrastructure issues. Looking at industrial heat use in more detail, the scale of the electrification challenge becomes clearer. 37 per cent of total global energy consumption comes from industry: while two thirds of this is used for heat generation, approximately 80 per cent of this thermal demand is generated by fossil fuels. As consultants McKinsey & Company point out, ‘Overall, manufacturing, food and beverage, and agriculture and forestry are the industries most reliant on processes with low-temperature heat (less than 200°C). In particular, manufacturing and food and beverage could see significant potential from electrification in the short to medium term, with
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electrification rates of 62 and 44 per cent of total energy demand, respectively, by 2030.’
TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE ELECTRIFICATION OF HEAT
There are a number of factors which determine the optimal technology to provide electrical
The heating elements of the HRS Ohmic System raise the temperature of the orange juice to 105°C within one second
heat for different industrial processes. These include the required temperature, holding time and process capacity. Mature and well- established technologies such as mechanical vapour recompression (MVR) and heat pumps are suitable for temperatures from 50 to >200°C, while e-boilers and turbo heaters are becoming
Winter 2025/2026 UKManufacturing
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