Decarbonising Industrial Process Heat with Linear Fresnel Collector-Derived Heat: A 4E Analysis

The decarbonisation of low- and medium-temperature industrial process heat requires the use of renewable thermal technologies capable of directly reducing dependence on fossil fuels. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the potential of heat generated by a 20 kW linear Fresnel collector (LFC) to contribute to the thermal energy demand of a dairy processing plant through energy, exergy, economic, and environmental (4E) analyses. One year of experimentally measured LFC data collected in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye, was combined with the facility’s actual monthly natural gas consumption data to analyze annual useful heat production, LFC thermal efficiency, solar fraction, fuel cost savings, and avoided CO2 emissions. The LFC system generated 17,535.48 kWh of useful heat over the year, corresponding to an estimated equivalent natural gas energy saving of 19,483.87 kWh. The monthly solar fraction ranged from 5.24% to 38.68%, with a mean monthly value of 19.89%. The expanded relative uncertainty associated with the mean monthly solar fraction was 13.62% at an approximately 95% confidence level. The maximum thermal efficiency was 26.01%, while the average and maximum exergy efficiencies were 2.70% and 5.57%, respectively. The assessment indicated annual natural gas savings of 1831.18 Sm3, an economic benefit of €623.48, and 3.94 tonnes of avoided CO2 emissions. These findings indicate that modular LFC systems could contribute to solar-assisted preheating processes in low- and medium-temperature industrial applications, while also highlighting the importance of seasonal variability during system sizing and integration.