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Making a case for electrification of heating

12 June 2023

Solon Mardapittas discusses some of the challenges of electrification of heating in food factories and looks at the energy management technology that is now available that support heat pump installation.

The benefits of employing heat pumps in food manufacturing facilities is clear. It provides a technology suitable for lower temperature heat processes; it offers more secure power supply given the reduced reliance on fossil fuels, and it also offers the potential for better quality control, with consistent temperatures more easily maintained by electric heating, helping organisations tackle their Scope 1 emissions challenge.  

However, the challenges of electrifying heating can be hard to overcome, due to the significant capital expenditure and possible grid constraints associated with the power load required by industrial heat pumps. There are three key technologies that can help overcome these hurdles – digital twinning, battery energy storage and voltage optimisation.

Managing grid constraints
Purchasing a new connection from the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to mitigate increased energy demand may be prohibitively expensive or, if localised demand is already too great, rejected.  

Digital modelling can provide the business case and the objective evidence that the project doesn’t compromise network integrity.  With digital twinning, additional energy infrastructure can be tested, simulating heat pump performance and impact.  Comparisons with existing infrastructure can be tested in real-time, and scenarios run to establish responses to internal and external factors, such as connectivity or fluctuating grid supply. 

Proving the concept at this early stage can de-risk a project, providing the data to demonstrate technical and financial viability and giving the DNO the information needed to decide on approval for additional grid connections, where necessary.

Given the costs involved with heat pump technology, many companies look to on-site renewables – generally solar or wind – to reduce demand for grid power supply. Battery Energy Storage (BESS) can help maximise the use of green energy generated on-site while also opening up revenue generation through grid balancing.  A BESS can store renewable energy generated on-site for use when needed and allow grid energy to be purchased when cheapest, effectively decoupling generation from demand to help offset capital costs.  

A transformer-based technology, Voltage Optimisation (VO) can help ensure that energy supply from the grid matches on-site demands. The grid regulates for voltage at 230V +10% / -6%, meaning a permitted voltage range between 216 and 235V – on average, around 242V. Since most UK electrical equipment is designed to operate at 220V, this mismatch means wasted energy and potential damage to equipment through wear and tear. VO eliminates overvoltage and returns unnecessary voltage back to the grid, and it conditions power to ensure a consistent voltage supply. Depending on the company’s energy profile, VO can lead to savings for most industrial processes. Powerstar has several clients in the food manufacturing sector for whom this technology has brought significant cost savings with the resulting reduction in carbon emissions. Where a company is looking to invest in heat pumps the option of VO, given the change in profile, could offer substantial benefits.

Ultimately, the cheapest and greenest unit of energy is the one you don’t use.  Electrifying heating is a clear way to reduce Scope 1 emissions, but the transition is most effective when considered as part of a comprehensive energy efficiency strategy, one which factors in energy management technologies that can prove both the feasibility and the return on investment.

Solon Mardapittas is CEO at Powerstar.


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