Solar thermal technologies for low-carbon industrial processes: dynamic modelling, techno-economic analysis and environmental impact

Solar thermal technologies are already available on the market, and they are robust and relatively cheap. Unfortunately, solar heat is seldom used in the industrial processes, and the main obstacle of solar heat diffusion is often the lack of adequate predictive modelling of solar plant integration that identifies its energy potential, economic feasibility, and environmental benefits. In this paper, we aim to investigate and evaluate the possibility of supplying solar heat to the pasta-drying process located in the northeast of the Italian Alps (“Felicetti”). The methodology proposed is structured with the combination of several software, namely, PVGIS®, Matlab®, Dymola®. The methodology developed is tested, considering solar thermal energy as the primary source, in different geographical contexts.