Profitability of a solar water heating system with evacuated tube collector in the meat industry

The meat sector generates millions of jobs and billions of euros in value-added every year. The meat industries have a high demand for hot water, very variable in temperature, volume required and time interval. This demand, with large volumes at temperatures above 80 °C, translates into significant energy bills and CO2 emitted to the atmosphere, given the limited use of renewable energy. The present study, adapted to the unique demand of meat industries, shows that the use of Solar Water Heating Systems (SWHS) with evacuated tube collector can be profitable in a large number of locations and scenarios in Europe. The type of energy supply in the industry, together with the large differences in the price of energy sources in each country, drastically affect the size of solar installations, the reduction in annual energy consumption and the savings generated. In a medium-sized industry with energy demand close to 85000 kWh/year, investing in a SWHS in locations of high irradiation can reach profitability values of € 1.1 per € invested, paybacks under 9 years, supply of more than 50% of the energy needed, reduction of the annual energy bill over 40% and reduction of CO2 emissions higher than 15000 kgCO2/year.