Hybrid renewable energy utility systems for industrial sites: A review
Timothy Gordon Walmsley, Matthias Philipp, Martín Picón‐Núñez, Henning Meschede, Matthew Taylor, Florian Schlosser, Martin J. Atkins
Abstract
The global energy transition to renewable energy is beginning to gain in pace and scale. This review focuses on how renewable energy from various sources can supply heating, cooling, and power as industrial utility systems. Hybrid renewable energy utility systems, or HYRES, are systems that provide heating, cooling, and power utility to industrial processes using a high proportion of renewable energy. Renewable energy sources may include fuels derived from bioenergy sources, geothermal, solar thermal, and renewable electricity from solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal. Using technology and integration lenses, this review establishes the HYRES framework, discusses critical renewable energy technologies and their integration, and sets-forth directions for future research. The study highlights the need for better control and reliability approaches (both reactive and proactive), clear use cases of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, and a focus on localised integration of renewable energy to overcome spatial and transport challenges.