Enabling Circularity in Energy Systems: The Power to Heat and Thermal Storage Route for Irish Industry

Geraldine Brennan (IMR/CIRCULÉIRE), Gareth McAllister (Ahascragh Distillery), Daina Vaz (IMR), and Colm Martin (SEAI) at IMR’s Network Symposium on 20th November.

Industrial heat is the backbone of manufacturing, powering everything from food processing to metal production. In the month of November, CIRCULÉIRE held Enabling Circularity in Energy Systems, a webinar about Power to Heat (P2H) and Thermal Storage (TES) as a route for decarbonising energy in Irish Industry, which evidenced how the conversation around decarbonisation of heat is shifting toward heat electrification. 

Co-authors of the guide and IMR’s Sustainability and Energy Researchers, Elahe Bolhasani, and Davis Rusmanis, offered an overview of the seven available technologies to implement P2H and TES solutions to maximise resource efficiency, cut emissions and reduce costs within the Irish landscape. The overview included case studies where these technically and commercially viable technologies have been deployed in Ireland and other countries in Europe.  

Ireland’s strong pharmaceutical and food industries make it an ideal candidate for heat electrification. However, adoption here trails behind Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, where public-private collaboration and knowledge sharing have accelerated progress. Diana Vaz, co-author of the guide and IMR’s Senior Programme Manager, concluded the session with current barriers and next steps for the Irish context, where electrification of heat continues to be a decarbonisation gap. 

Vaz explained the areas of focus to close this gap, such as reducing electricity costs and improving grid access, strengthening technical support, aligning incentives, and building industry capacity through pilots and staff training. She also outlined steps for industrial sites to adopt P2H and TES solutions, including mapping heat demand, assessing feasibility of mature solutions or exploring onsite renewables options.  

Vaz ended the session inviting attendees to take part in a collaboration survey aiming to develop practical methodologies and tools for identifying the best electrified heat solutions for industry. The conversation was chaired by Circular Economy Best Practice and Toolkits Lead, Paul McCormack Cooney, who opened the event with a brief introduction about Circular Economy and CIRCULÉIRE´s publicly available range of sectoral guides. 

Geraldine Brennan (Director of Circular Economy Innovation, IMR/CIRCULÉIRE) presenting the 11th Good Practice Guide during IMR’s Network Symposium on 20th November.

The webinar provided some insights from CIRCULÉIRE’s 11^th Good Practise Sectoral Guide, Industrial Power-to-Heat: Enabling Circularity in Energy Systems, which was also discussed and launched at the discussion panel Electrification of Heat: Strengthening Energy Resilience and Sustainability during IMR’s Network Symposium on 20^th November, with the participation of Dr Geraldine Brennan, Director of Circular Economy Innovation at IMR and editor to the guide; co-author of the guide and IMR’s Senior Programme Manager, Diana Vaz; Manager of EXEED Program at SEAI, Colm Martin; and Founder & Managing Director at Ahascragh Distillery, Gareth McAllister.