Assessment of carbon emission reduction potential in industrial heating processes in Ruicheng, China

In China, considerable fossil fuel energy is consumed during industrial heating processes. Reducing carbon emissions from industrial heating processes is of great significance to China’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality. In this study, a county was taken as an example to study the energy-saving and carbon-reduction potential of industrial heating processes and the feasibility of renewable-energy substitution at the regional level. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the current status of energy consumption and specific uses of local industrial enterprises. Based on the results of the questionnaire, key energy-consuming enterprises were selected for field research. Their energy-saving potential was evaluated, and the feasibility of renewable-energy substitution was analyzed. The results show that, through energy efficiency improvement, the carbon emissions of industrial heating processes can be reduced by 35.6