Solar Thermal Technologies for Low-Carbon Industrial Processes: Dynamic Modelling, Techno-Economic Analysis and Environmental Impact

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