Role of process integration and green technologies utilization for the decarbonization of the watchmaking sector

Decarbonizing the watch industry and improving its sustainability requires enhancing the energy efficiency, intensifying the waste heat recovery and integrating renewable energy resources to significantly reduce the energy consumption and reduce the overall process emissions. The watchmaking industry operates across different periods, each one characterized by own levels of average power demand, plant activity, and duration. While working days (Work D) experience the highest energy demand; other periods, such as weekend (Wend D1, Wend D2 and Wend N), exhibit a substantial drop in energy consumption. It requires a suitable selection of utility systems and an energy planning that can meet the energy requirements regardless of the different operation regimes, reducing the consumption of fossil resources. To this end, this work leverages a systematic framework to perform the techno-economic analysis and explore the feasibility of incorporating alternative energy conversion (e.g. electrification) and storage solutions (for heat) in the watchmaking industry, accounting for the monthly variations of energy demand and environmental conditions.