Pathways and challenges of solar thermal utilisation in the industry: ASEAN and Malaysia scenarios

The development of energy generation by solar thermal has been rigorously highlighted worldwide, but efforts to extend this energy resource have yet to be made by ASEAN countries. This paper discusses the emergence of solar thermal applications in the ASEAN region and their challenges. The heat demand profile by temperature range in major industrial sectors in Malaysia to represent the region is also presented. Furthermore, this paper provides an industrial viewpoint regarding awareness and technical know-how required to implement solar thermal in the sector successfully. The results indicated that solar thermal offers vast opportunities for its integration with the existing industry, which operates in the low-temperature range of below 150 degrees C to the medium-temperature range of 150-400 degrees C for diverse applications, such as drying, cooking, cleaning, oleochemicals, and fertiliser manufacturing. The results showed that 26% of the respondents are strongly aware of solar thermal technologies. However, most respondents reported some barriers, such as costly solar collectors and lack of knowledge of solar thermal technology selection. Meanwhile, nearly 38% of the respondents believed that the technology could provide energy-saving and environmental benefits (25%), whereas 18% believed that incentives might increase the share of solar renewable energy in the energy mix.