Potential of concentrated solar power systems for defossilization of industrial process heat for steam generation

The present study investigates the potential of concentrated solar power as a defossilization option for industrial process heat, using process steam generation as a case study. The study considers various topologies, including standalone low-CO₂ steam generation technology and hybrid systems integrating concentrated solar power with complementary solutions. These are evaluated across diverse European locations with varying solar irradiance and operating conditions. The results demonstrate that integrating concentrated solar power can significantly reduce the levelized cost of heat and CO₂ emissions in regions where direct normal irradiance exceeds 1200 kWh/m²/year. This effect is independent of the targeted CO₂ reduction level. In contrast, in regions with irradiance below this threshold, the economic and technical competitiveness of low-CO₂ solutions depends strongly on the stringency of the CO₂ reduction target. For CO₂ reduction targets up to 70 %, multiple topologies remain cost-competitive. These include standalone low-CO₂ technologies – such as geothermal systems, concentrated solar power, or heat pumps – supplemented by minimal operation of the existing natural gas-fired boiler and hybrid configurations combining these low-CO₂ technologies. However, for solar irradiance above 1200 kWh/m²/year and CO₂ reduction targets beyond 70 % deploying heat pumps becomes essential. These may beas standalone or combined with concentrated solar power systems or biomethane-fired boilers to minimize costs. In general, the findings emphasize the importance of location-specific analysis and demonstrate the effectiveness of concentrated solar power in achieving substantial CO₂ reduction targets across a wide range of solar irradiance levels, operating temperatures, and various steam generation topologies.