Community of Practice for Industry Heat
Industrial processes across Europe currently face a critical challenge: their heavy reliance on fossil fuels for heat production. This sector alone is responsible for approximately half of the carbon emissions from European industry, posing a significant barrier to achieving the continent’s climate goals.
The Community of Practice for Industry Heat seeks to tackle this challenge by fostering collaboration between technology startups, industrial sites and investors and thereby facilitating networking and knowledge exchange. It propels the development, adoption and financing of innovative solutions in industrial heat decarbonization, driving the decarbonization of industrial heat with a strategic focus on enhancing energy and climate resilience in Europe.
Problem Statement
Industrial processes across Europe currently face a critical challenge: their heavy reliance on fossil fuels for heat production. This sector alone is responsible for approximately half of the carbon emissions from European industry, posing a significant barrier to achieving the continent’s climate goals. Addressing this issue is crucial not only for environmental sustainability but also for Europe’s economic competitiveness and energy resilience.
Renewable Heat Technologies
To tackle this challenge, the advancement of renewable heat technologies is essential. By shifting towards sustainable heating solutions such as large-scale heat pumps or thermal storage applications, industrial players can significantly reduce industrial carbon emissions. This transition supports the decarbonization of industrial heat, secures Europe’s industrial base, stimulates job creation, and contributes to long-term prosperity.
Our Mission
We seek to drive the decarbonization of industrial heat with a strategic focus on enhancing energy and climate resilience in Europe. By fostering collaboration between technology startups, industrial sites and investors, the Community of Practice for Industry Heat serves as a nexus for networking, knowledge exchange and propelling the development, adoption and financing of innovative solutions in industrial heat decarbonization.
Launch of the Community of Practice at the Future Cleantech Festival
We officially launched the Community of Practice for Industry Heat at the Future Cleantech Festival in Remscheid on the 29th of May in the presence of industry leaders, investors and technology startups. The panel “From Innovation to Market – Exploring the Valley of Death: Electrifying >1000°C applications with incumbent industry” highlighted that energy-intensive industries, consuming about 10% of Europe’s natural gas supply, face significant challenges in decarbonizing high-temperature heat generation and require a diverse mix of technologies tailored to various needs.
The Community of Practice for Industry Heat aims to address these challenges to support the decarbonization of industrial heating systems and to ensure a sustainable and resilient future for high-temperature applications.
Learn more about our holistic approach:
The Community of Practice is only the first component of our holistic approach across 4 strategic components (1) industry network, (2) financing solutions, (3) renewable electricity and (4) policy and regulations. Collectively, these activities bridge crucial gaps between diverse stakeholders, such as startups, corporates, government, and finance, fostering effective collaboration to solve the industrial heat decarbonization challenge.
Find the 4 strategic components below:
Industry Network
This component establishes the Community of Practice, fostering collaboration between technology startups, industrial sites and investors. The community serves as a nexus for networking, knowledge exchange, propelling the development, adoption and financing of innovative solutions in industrial heat decarbonization.
The Community’s activities will be facilitated through physical and virtual meetings, workshops, and forums, fostering a sense of community among stakeholders. The coalition will contribute to joint position papers, letters to policy-makers, etc.
Financing solutions
Component 2 is dedicated to identifying and implementing viable financial mechanisms to facilitate the widespread adoption of renewable heat technologies in industrial processes. The component involves a comprehensive exploration of various financial models and mechanisms with the goal of mobilizing investments, overcoming financial barriers, and advancing the deployment of cutting-edge technologies.
A finance workshop will be conducted to bring together key stakeholders, including financial institutions, investors, and industrial enterprises. The aim of the workshop is to contribute to the development of financing options, including grants, subsidies, loans, and public-private partnerships, by identifying viable and sustainable solutions to overcome barriers in adopting renewable heat technologies.
The outputs include a summary of the findings from the exploration of various financial models and mechanisms.
Renewable Electricity Supply
Component 3 aims to resolve the crucial supply of renewable electricity required for operating renewable heat technologies. The primary focus of our workstreams lies in convening an expert workshop within the energy market and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) sphere. This workshop aims to gather key stakeholders to deliberate on actionable strategies to address current challenges and pave the way for sustainable adoption.
The workshop will serve as a dynamic forum to delve into the feasibility of sourcing renewable energy for industrial heat, exploring various available options within the context of prevailing electricity market dynamics. Of particular focus will be strategies to navigate electricity market pricing, which currently presents a significant barrier to the widespread adoption of renewable alternatives. This comprehensive effort will foster collaboration among a diverse array of stakeholders, including industry experts, policymakers, and relevant participants.
Potential outputs include factsheets and summary briefings on the findings of the workshop.
Policy and Regulations
The final component focuses on communication strategies, engaging the wider public through media engagement and targeted outreach to stakeholder communities. The project aims to amplify its impact, raise awareness, and foster a supportive environment for the adoption of sustainable industrial heat solutions, including a suitable political and regulatory framework.
The component includes media work, targeted outreach to stakeholder communities (B2B), engagement with decision-makers in Berlin and Brussels, and social media (LinkedIn). Events such as stakeholder workshops with industry, online deep-dives with startups and corporates, and roundtable discussions with national and European decision-makers will help amplify the project’s impact. Direct engagement with decision-makers will be facilitated through high-level meetings and policy briefings, contributing to the creation of an enabling environment for industrial heat decarbonization.
If you’re interested in joining the Community of Practice for Industry Heat, feel free to reach out to us. Please include information about your company and how you would benefit from the Community.