Solar thermal technologies: clean fit for food and beverage industries

The report argues that solar thermal technology is an ideal fit for South Africa's food and beverage industries, where up to 77% of energy use is for heating, mostly below 250°C. While the current local industry is dominated by domestic water heaters, there is a significant opportunity to scale industrial applications. The report estimates that replacing non-coal fuels with solar thermal could save 158,685 tonnes of CO2e per annum, while replacing coal could save 942,556 tonnes. Financial viability is high for replacing fuels other than coal, with potential Internal Rates of Return above 10% over 20 years. However, barriers include a lack of sustained demand, a skills gap in industrial design, and limited familiarity among financial institutions.

• In South Africa's agri-processing sector, heating processes account for up to 77% of total energy use, with the majority of food and beverage firms requiring heat below 250°C, making solar thermal an ideal replacement for existing fuels.
• The potential for greenhouse gas mitigation is significant: replacing all heat process fuels other than coal with solar thermal could reduce emissions by 158,685 tonnes of CO2e per annum, while replacing coal could lead to a reduction of 942,556 tonnes of CO2e per annum.
• Solar thermal energy is financially viable for replacing most fuel sources except coal, with an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) potentially exceeding 10% over a 20-year period, assuming a 6% annual fuel price increase.
• The South African solar thermal industry is currently underdeveloped for industrial use; most installations are for single-family homes, and only three of the 125 large solar thermal systems are in the food and beverage sector.
• Several barriers hinder the uptake of industrial solar thermal technology, including a lack of sustained demand, a skills gap for water design engineers in industrial projects, and a lack of familiarity with the technology among financial institutions.
• The market potential is substantial, with more than 5,000 SARS registered food and beverage firms having total taxable earnings exceeding R10 billion per annum.

APA

Rivett-Carnac, K., & Scholtz, L. (2018). Solar thermal technologies: clean fit for food and beverage industries. WWF South Africa. http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/wwf_2018_solar_thermal_technologies_clean_fit_for_food_and_bev_industries.pdf

Chicago

Rivett-Carnac, Kate, and Louise Scholtz. Solar thermal technologies: clean fit for food and beverage industries. WWF South Africa, 2018. http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/wwf_2018_solar_thermal_technologies_clean_fit_for_food_and_bev_industries.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rivett-Carnac |first1=Kate |last2=Scholtz |first2=Louise |title=Solar thermal technologies: clean fit for food and beverage industries |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2018 |url=http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/wwf_2018_solar_thermal_technologies_clean_fit_for_food_and_bev_industries.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rivettcarnac2018solar, author = {Rivett-Carnac, Kate and Scholtz, Louise}, title = {{Solar thermal technologies: clean fit for food and beverage industries}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2018}, url = {http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/wwf_2018_solar_thermal_technologies_clean_fit_for_food_and_bev_industries.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }