Electrotechnologies for Defossilisation of Industrial Thermal and Manufacturing Processes

Industrial production still relies heavily on thermal processes that predominantly use fossil fuels for energy. This has significant consequences for primary energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, rapid advances in electrotechnologies—defined as processes that use electrical energy to transform materials through internal heat dissipation (inductive, conductive, or dielectric/microwave) or heat transfer via resistance and infrared systems—are paving the way for a transition to a non-fossil fuel-based energy supply across a wide range of temperatures and power densities. However, replacing fuel with electricity is not simply a case of making a straightforward substitution; the feasibility of this change is determined by process requirements, constraints on installation space and grid connection, the reliability and volatility of the electricity supply, and economics. This paper therefore proposes a simple, decision-oriented methodology to assess the feasibility of defossilisation from energetic and economic perspectives. The methodology centres on a “substitution coefficient” that compares the amount of fossil energy substituted by a given amount of electrical energy and benchmarks this against the primary energy intensity of electricity generation. The methodology is demonstrated using case studies from energy-intensive sectors such as cement production (using resistance and microwave methods), steel strip processing (with inductive boosting combined with resistive holding) and metal melting for cast iron and aluminium. The case studies show under which conditions electrification can be implemented as a drop-in substitute, a hybrid booster or an enabler of new production models. The results indicate where electrotechnologies can deliver primary energy savings and CO2 reductions today and outline the conditions under which their advantages will increase as power systems become more decarbonised.