The recent report by The Royal Society, titled "Unlocking Thermal Energy: Capture, Storage, and Re-Use of Industrial Waste Heat," addresses a critical issue: over 50% of energy used in UK industry is wasted, primarily through heat loss due to system inefficiencies. The report emphasizes that improving thermal energy efficiency and repurposing surplus heat can reimagine the role of heat in a net zero future, ultimately supporting decarbonization, enhancing industrial productivity, and providing new sources of heat for homes and businesses.
At the launch event, Kirsty Gogan underscored the necessity of capturing, transporting, storing, and reusing this heat to enhance these efforts. She highlighted that the potential for efficiency improvements lies particularly within the UK’s foundation industries, where materials are heated to high temperatures and then cooled. Addressing these inefficiencies is vital as the UK progresses towards its net zero goals.
At Terra Praxis, thermal energy management is central to our coal-to-nuclear repowering strategy. We envision thermal energy storage integrated with repowered coal plants to enable highly competitive flexible generation. This approach captures and redeploys thermal energy to provide the grid flexibility that renewable integration demands while delivering the reliable baseload power that industry needs.
The path to net zero requires systemic thinking about energy flows across industrial clusters. The report illustrates how waste heat, thermal storage, and flexible nuclear generation are interconnected pieces of the same puzzle.
We express our gratitude to The Royal Society for providing the evidence base to drive smart policy and investment decisions on industrial heat. To read the full report, visit The Royal Society website here.