Industrial solar heat potential in Chile: A technical-economic analysis

• Comprehensive techno-economic analysis conducted on the integration of solar heat into industrial processes across various regions of Chile. • Coquimbo, Antofagasta, and Metropolitan regions exhibit high solar fractions and competitive levelized cost of heat (LCoH) values, particularly in hot water production. • The Metropolitan region demonstrates significant potential for steam generation, achieving a 50 % solar fraction and producing 295 GWh/year of solar thermal energy. • Solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP) has the potential to displace over 3500 GWh/year of fossil fuel energy, contributing to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. • Validation with real-world data indicates an average error margin of 21 %, confirming the reliability of the developed heat load calculation model. This paper presents a comprehensive techno-economical potential analysis for integrating solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP) in Chile. Utilizing TRNSYS software for simulation and Python for data analysis, the study evaluates the levelized cost of heat (LCoH) and solar fraction for various industrial sectors across different regions of the country. The findings indicate that regions such as Coquimbo, Antofagasta, and Metropolitan exhibit high solar fractions and competitive LCoH values, particularly in hot water production. The central zone, especially the Metropolitan region, demonstrates significant potential for steam generation, achieving an average solar fraction of 50 % and producing 295 GWh/year of solar thermal energy. Validation with real-world data demonstrated an average error margin of 21 %, underscoring the developed heat load calculation model's reliability. The study concluded that SHIP is a viable solution for reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions in Chile. It has the potential to displace over 3,500 GWh/year of fossil fuel energy in the considered productive sectors. These findings highlight the strategic importance of supporting SHIP implementation through favorable policies and investments.