Electrifying Industry

Why does electrification allow for more efficient use of energy?

Most fossil fuel-fired heating processes are inefficient, with much of the heat being wasted. Electrical heating technologies use energy more efficiently. They can:

• Deliver heat at the precise temperature required (traditionally, industrial heat is often provided at temperatures well above what is needed)
• Transfer heat directly to a material, with very little heat escaping to the environment
• Provide heat at the point of use, minimising distribution losses
• Sometimes avoid the need for heat altogether – for example using reverse osmosis to remove water or ultraviolet light to cure paints

What are other benefits of electrifying industrial process heat?

• Electricity can power any heat transfer, such as waste incineration at 3,000 C°, whereas gas-fired processes have a limit of about 1,900 C°.
• Electrical heat is faster. For example, technologies such as induction and infrared take only seconds or minutes for a task that could take a gas-fired system hours
• Electricity is available everywhere - in off-grid locations, wind, solar power and batteries can provide a low-cost source of energy
• Electrical heating reduces labour costs - most systems don't need constant monitoring like combustion heating systems
• Energy security - we no longer have to rely on the volatile prices of fossil fuels