The energy transition is one of the defining challenges of our time. Across Europe and beyond, policy frameworks, research agendas, and corporate strategies are laser-focused on achieving net-zero carbon emissions. And yet, amidst the enthusiasm for electrification, wind farms, and solar PV panels, we are missing a fundamental piece of the puzzle: heat
In a recent video titled “The Mind-Blowing Thing We Get WRONG About Energy,” science communicator Simon Clark lays bare a startling oversight: most discussions about the energy transition ignore the fact that heat—not electricity—is the largest end-use of energy in the world. In fact, more than half of all energy consumed globally is used to generate heat, much of it in industrial processes like drying, distilling, sterilizing, and chemical transformation. This is particularly true in Europe’s food, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing sectors, where high-temperature heat remains essential and, today, mostly fossil-fueled.
This reality presents both a challenge and a remarkable opportunity—one that Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) technology is uniquely equipped to meet.
The mismatch between policy and need
Most energy policy is written in kilowatt-hours and voltage. That makes sense for the electricity grid—but it overlooks the fact that industrial operations often run on process heat, not electrons. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), only 10% of industrial heat demand is currently met by renewable sources, with the vast majority still generated by burning fossil fuels.
This structural oversight in both public discourse and investment strategy has skewed priorities. As Simon Clark articulates in the video, this is not just a technical blind spot, but a conceptual one: “We assume that solving the electricity transition means solving the energy transition. But heat is what we actually use most of the time.”
Heat needs its own transition pathway
Electrification can certainly play a role—especially for low-temperature heat—but it quickly becomes inefficient and costly for temperatures above 150°C. Here, renewable electricity often needs to be converted into heat through electric boilers or heat pumps, which not only lose efficiency but demand massive grid upgrades.
That’s where CST enters the picture. CST systems use mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver, producing heat directly, without the detour through electricity. They can reliably deliver temperatures from 150°C to over 400°C—ideal for the bulk of industrial processes—and store thermal energy for use overnight or on cloudy days.
A European example: Suncom Energy and the SunFleet system
European companies like Suncom Energy are leading the charge in redefining how we think about industrial decarbonization. Their solution, the SunFleet, is a modular CST system tailored for food, pharma, and chemical producers operating in sunny regions. Unlike traditional PV setups, SunFleet doesn’t generate electricity. It creates usable, high-temperature heat that integrates directly with existing industrial systems—often through a steam line or heat exchanger.
Take the case of Smileat, an organic baby food producer in Spain. Facing rising diesel costs and pressure to reduce emissions, the company partnered with Suncom to install a CST field with integrated thermal storage. The result? Smileat now replaces up to 80% of its fossil-based process heat with solar heat at 175°C, slashing CO₂ emissions by more than 50 tons per year.
This is more than a success story—it’s a template. It shows that CST is not a niche technology, but a scalable, replicable solution that can address one of the most carbon-intensive aspects of industrial operations.
CST is energy efficiency at its core
What sets CST apart is its directness. As Clark explains in his video, transforming energy from one form to another always introduces losses—electricity to heat, for instance, is rarely 100% efficient. CST bypasses this entirely by producing heat from solar input at source-matching temperature, meaning minimal losses and maximum utility per photon –but electrons aren’t the end goal. Heat is. And CST delivers it—cleanly, reliably, and cost-effectively.
Moreover, CST systems can include thermal energy storage, enabling consistent heat supply during night-time or cloudy periods. Unlike electrical battery storage, which is costly and resource-intensive, thermal storage is relatively simple without using any critical raw materials. This makes CST not just a renewable source, but a dispatchable one—rare among clean technologies.
Suncomic 2025-01
Conclusion: it’s time to think thermally
The European Green Deal and the REPowerEU plan have set ambitious targets for reducing fossil fuel use and enhancing energy independence. But unless industrial heat is brought into the center of the conversation, those goals may remain elusive.
CST technologies like Suncom’s SunFleet offer a tangible way forward. By delivering reliable, high-temperature heat using only sunlight and storage, CST helps companies achieve deep decarbonization without upending their operations. And as Clark’s video reminds us, this isn’t just a technical fix—it’s a reframing of what energy is, how we use it, and how we must plan for a carbon-free future.
Curious how it could work for your factory? Let’s talk
