Solar Thermal Systems for the Swiss Pharmaceutical Industry Sector

Abstract

This study focus on the integration of solar thermal (ST) systems in the Swiss pharmaceutical industry to provide the thermal energy need for their processes. An analysis of the heat demand in this sector showed that around 2 TWh of heat could be supplied with conventional thermal solar systems, such as flat plate collectors or vacuum tube collectors. To identify the obstacles to integrate solar systems and define appropriate solutions, two case studies were considered to assess the technical feasibility and economic viability of these solutions. The two feasibility studies focused on drying processes. The solar heat supplied to the pharmaceutical processes was estimated using the simulation tool Polysun for both case studies. The solar plant sized for case study 1 produces 617 MWh/year with 1060 m² of solar collector (solar field gross surface) and 50 m³ of storage. Whereas for the case study 2, the heat production reaches 382 MWH/year with 684 m² of solar collector and 30 m³ of storage. Finally, the economic evaluation of the ST systems, based on different offers, shows that the price of the heat produced by the solar thermal system reaches almost twice the price of the gas, which allows to determine the competitiveness of the ST system in both cases comparing to conventional heating systems.