Direct electrification of industrial process heat

The study finds that direct electrification could replace 90% of the energy demand not yet electrified in European industry by 2035. While technologies like heat pumps and electric boilers are mature for low-temperature needs, high-temperature applications in sectors like cement and steel require further development of plasma, shock-wave, and resistance heating. The report highlights that economic barriers—specifically the price gap between electricity and natural gas—and organisational hurdles, such as insufficient grid infrastructure and long equipment lifetimes, are more significant obstacles than technical limitations. It argues that direct electrification is generally more energy-efficient than indirect electrification via hydrogen, particularly for low-temperature applications.

• Direct electrification technologies expected to be available by 2035 could meet 90 percent of the energy demand not yet electrified by European industry, with over 60 percent of this demand addressable by technologies available today.
• Process heating is the largest industrial energy use in the EU-27, accounting for 47 percent of industrial energy demand and approximately 75 percent of industrial CO2 emissions.
• The iron and steel sector faces the most significant technical limitations for direct electrification because fossil fuels are required as reducing agents in primary steel production.
• Low-temperature sectors, such as food, beverages, tobacco, and pulp and paper, are the best candidates for early electrification due to the maturity of heat pumps and electric boilers.
• Direct electrification of low-temperature applications using heat pumps offers substantial efficiency gains compared to indirect electrification via hydrogen, which carries a generation efficiency penalty of approximately 30 percent.
• Organisational barriers include insufficient grid infrastructure, where the cost of upgrading electrical connections can exceed the cost of the electrified equipment itself.
• The long technical lifetimes of existing installations, often spanning several decades, create a risk of stranded investments and limit the windows of opportunity for electrification.
• Emerging technologies such as plasma torches and shock-wave heating are promising for high-temperature applications (up to 3,000°C and 1,500°C respectively) but currently face challenges regarding component lifetime and efficiency.

APA

Rehfeldt, M., Bussmann, S., Fleiter, T., & Rissman, J. (2024). Direct electrification of industrial process heat. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Direct-electrification-of-industrial-process-heat.-An-assessment-of-technologies-potentials-and-future-prospects-for-the-EU.pdf

Chicago

Rehfeldt, Matthias, Simon Bussmann, Tobias Fleiter, and Jeffrey Rissman. Direct electrification of industrial process heat. Energy Innovation, 2024. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Direct-electrification-of-industrial-process-heat.-An-assessment-of-technologies-potentials-and-future-prospects-for-the-EU.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rehfeldt |first1=Matthias |last2=Bussmann |first2=Simon |last3=Fleiter |first3=Tobias |last4=Rissman |first4=Jeffrey |title=Direct electrification of industrial process heat |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=June 2024 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Direct-electrification-of-industrial-process-heat.-An-assessment-of-technologies-potentials-and-future-prospects-for-the-EU.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rehfeldt2024direct, author = {Rehfeldt, Matthias and Bussmann, Simon and Fleiter, Tobias and Rissman, Jeffrey}, title = {{Direct electrification of industrial process heat}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2024}, month = jun, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Direct-electrification-of-industrial-process-heat.-An-assessment-of-technologies-potentials-and-future-prospects-for-the-EU.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }