For industrial companies running continuous heat processes, the energy market is no longer just a cost to manage. It has become a source of competitive advantage if you have the right technology in place.
Power-to-Heat combined with Thermal Energy Storage is not a theoretical concept. It is a practical, investable configuration that allows industrial operators to shift heat generation to the cheapest and cleanest moments in the electricity market, store that energy, and release it exactly when the process demands it. The result is lower heat costs, reduced grid congestion exposure, and a measurable step toward decarbonization.
Why the electricity market matters for industrial heat
Industrial heat has traditionally been purchased through gas contracts and managed as a fixed operational cost. That model is increasingly misaligned with the reality of European energy markets.
The electricity grid today is structurally oversupplied during certain windows of the day. Solar generation peaks at midday. Wind generation can surge unpredictably. During those hours, wholesale electricity prices collapse, in some markets to zero or into negative territory. At the same time, network operators are under growing pressure from grid congestion, particularly in the Netherlands, where capacity constraints are now directly limiting industrial expansion.
For a factory running a gas boiler, these market dynamics are invisible. For a factory equipped with Power-to-Heat and Thermal Energy Storage, they become a recurring financial opportunity.
Which energy markets are worth paying attention to
Three markets are directly relevant for industrial operators with flexible thermal load:
Day-ahead prices. Hourly electricity prices are set the evening before, and patterns are increasingly predictable. Prices drop during peak solar hours and recover in the evening. A Power-to-Heat system can absorb cheap electricity during those windows and store the resulting heat for later use.
Imbalance and flexibility markets. TSOs across Europe pay industrial consumers to shift or reduce demand at short notice. Any site with a dispatchable thermal load can participate and generate revenue from an asset that would otherwise simply run at a fixed setpoint.
Congestion relief in the Netherlands. Grid congestion is now an operational reality for Dutch industrial sites. Network operators are actively seeking large flexible loads to absorb local surpluses. Power-to-Heat with thermal storage is precisely what they need, and participation can offset meaningful portions of system operating cost.
How Power-to-Heat and Thermal Storage unlock this value
SunFleet’s Power-to-Heat module converts electricity directly into thermal energy using high-efficiency electric heaters. When electricity prices are low, the system runs at maximum capacity, charging SunTES, Suncom’s solid mineral thermal storage system. When prices rise or solar generation drops, the storage discharges and continues supplying process heat without drawing additional power from the grid.
The storage buffer decouples generation from demand. A factory does not need to run its heat process at the same moment it absorbs cheap electricity. That temporal separation is what makes market participation viable without disrupting operations. Combined with SunArc concentrated solar thermal, the system can stack value from multiple sources simultaneously: solar heat during daylight hours, low-cost grid electricity during price troughs, and stored heat across the full 24-hour production cycle.
Who benefits most from this configuration
The strongest business cases share a common profile:
-
- Continuous or multi-shift heat demand in the 120°C to 400°C range. Operations that run five, six, or seven days a week and cannot afford heat interruptions are ideal candidates. Intermittent or highly seasonal processes will see lower returns.
- Sufficient electrical grid connection. Power-to-Heat requires electrical capacity. Sites with existing connections of several megawatts are well positioned. Sites currently constrained by grid capacity may need to sequence their approach, which is a reason to start the assessment early.
- Gas-intensive processes. The economic case is strongest where gas consumption is high and the avoided cost of gas is significant. Dairy processing, industrial drying, evaporation, pasteurization, chemical reactions, and distillation all fit this profile closely.
Geography in Spain or the Netherlands. Both markets offer the combination of solar resource, policy support, and energy market infrastructure that makes hybrid renewable heat configurations financially compelling.
The hybrid configuration: why combining solar thermal, P2H, and storage changes the economics
A Power-to-Heat system alone is exposed to the electricity market on both sides. When electricity prices rise, operating costs follow. That risk is real and has deterred some operators from full electrification.
The hybrid SunFleet configuration changes this calculus. Solar thermal heat from SunArc generates the base load of renewable heat at a fixed cost, independent of electricity prices. Power-to-Heat fills the gaps and opportunistically captures cheap electricity when the market offers it. Thermal storage holds energy across time so the system dispatches heat when the process needs it, not when generation happens to be available.
The result is a system that is structurally exposed to falling electricity prices while protected against rising ones. That asymmetry is what makes the hybrid approach more resilient than a pure electrification strategy.
Request a free heat scan
The first step is understanding your site’s flex potential and what the energy markets could realistically mean for your heat costs. Suncom Energy offers a free heat scan for industrial operators in the Netherlands and Spain. We assess your current heat demand profile, your grid connection, your available roof or land area, and your energy cost structure. We then model what a P2H and thermal storage configuration could deliver in terms of avoided costs, market revenue, and CO₂ reduction, with specific reference to the energy market conditions relevant to your site. There is no obligation. The scan gives you the numbers to make an informed decision.
Contact our team today and request your free heat scan. Find out whether your factory’s heat demand is already an untapped flexibility asset, and what the energy markets could be doing in your favour.
