Alliance of associations pushes for process heat strategy

02.12.2024

A total of 15 associations from industry, SMEs and the cleantech sector are calling for a process heat strategy from politicians.

In the run-up to the upcoming parliamentary elections, an alliance of 15 associations has come together to call for a "clear process heat strategy", according to a joint statement on November 29. The topic is fundamental for many industrial companies and commercial enterprises and should therefore be "at the top of the economic policy agenda and in every election program".

"Climate-neutral and efficient process heat is a prerequisite for many companies in order to remain competitive in the long term," explains Christian Noll, Managing Director of the German Business Initiative for Energy Efficiency (Deneff). And although technical solutions are already available for many sectors, uncertainties - for example regarding energy prices, grid expansion and regulatory requirements - are hampering the necessary investments. The associations therefore believe that politicians have a duty here: "We need a credible strategy that closely involves industry associations in order to remove obstacles and make the transformation plannable," adds Tatjana Ruhl, Head of Decarbonization of Industry at Deneff.

Such a strategy is considered so essential because process heat accounts for around two thirds of the industry's total energy consumption. The amount of energy required for this is similar to the energy used to heat and cool all buildings in Germany. At the same time, it causes around three quarters of industrial CO2 emissions.

The association statement "Climate-neutral process heat as a competitive factor"

Three demands

The associations are calling on the future German government to

• The development of a comprehensive process heat strategy that takes into account the various requirements of industries, technologies and temperature levels;
• a structured dialog process between industry and politics in order to develop concrete objectives and the necessary framework conditions;
• a central point of contact at the Federal Ministry of Economics to coordinate the strategy.

In September of this year, Deneff presented a short study entitled "Energy-efficient and CO2-free process heat" in cooperation with the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences (we reported). According to the study, German companies could save a total of up to 21 billion euros in energy costs each year through targeted measures - in the area of process heat alone.

However, according to this brief study, many energy efficiency measures repeatedly fail due to a lack of knowledge of suitable measures, suitable financing options, priorities within the company, short-term return expectations, uncertainties regarding the development of energy price components and often simply due to the availability of sufficiently large electricity grid connections.

The new alliance of associations includes Deneff, the German Combined Heat and Power Association (BKWK), the German Heat Pump Association (BWP), the German Geothermal Energy Association, the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) and several industry associations, such as the German Steel and Metal Processing Industry Association and the German Association of Energy Buyers (VEA).

Author: Heidi Roider, E&M powernews