On 15 September 2026, the GREENOLIVE project held its first public webinar, bringing together partners from Italy, Spain, Türkiye, Egypt, and Palestine to present the project’s approach to decarbonising industrial heat. The online event, titled “Can Solar Energy Power Industrial Heat?“, featured presentations on thermal energy storage design, the pilot plant under construction in Türkiye, and replication activities in Egypt and Palestine.
The scale of the challenge
Prof. Luca Cioccolanti of eCampus University opened the webinar with an overview of the problem. In 2024, industry accounted for approximately 23.9% of total EU energy consumption. Electricity and natural gas together made up nearly two-thirds of final energy consumption in the sector, while fossil fuels in various forms accounted for almost half. The chemical and petrochemical industry is the largest single consumer, representing 22.9% of total final energy consumption in EU industry.
The Mediterranean region faces a climate crisis estimated to be 20% more severe than the global average. Despite abundant solar radiation, industrial heat remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels. GREENOLIVE, funded under the Interreg NEXT MED programme, addresses this gap.
Project overview
Prof. Cioccolanti presented the project’s technical approach. The pilot plant, currently under installation at the ASCHEM petrochemical facility in Adana, Türkiye, integrates three key technologies: a 600 kW peak photovoltaic system, electrical heaters powered by renewable electricity, and a packed-bed thermal energy storage unit using locally sourced waste materials. The system is designed to deliver process heat at 300°C, targeting an 18-22% reduction in natural gas consumption at the facility.
The plant operates in multiple modes depending on solar availability and process demand. The webinar presented the plant scheme and the control logic governing charging, discharging, and direct supply.
Thermal energy storage design
Margarita Rodríguez García of CIEMAT presented the thermal energy storage system. The conceptual design includes an auxiliary electric heating capacity of approximately 100 kW, a maximum operating temperature of approximately 345°C, a design temperature difference of approximately 65°C, and a storage capacity of approximately 420 kWh.
The presentation covered oil distributor design, thermal ratcheting studies, foundation details, and tank instrumentation. Thermal ratcheting, a structural stress caused by repeated expansion and contraction of the tank walls during charging and discharging cycles, was identified as a safety consideration. The proposed solution involves a metal mesh with a fine mesh filter.
Pilot plant
Tolga Özkan of ASCHEM presented the industrial perspective, discussing the need for decarbonisation in plastics manufacturing, the specific process requirements and challenges involved, and why PV power-to-heat combined with thermal storage is one of the most suitable solutions for the sector.
Replication activities
Rania Assem Ibrahim of AASTMT presented the replication context in Egypt, where the team is developing a laboratory-scale system using locally available materials and equipment. The Egyptian system will maintain the operating concept of the reference packed-bed TES system while adapting to local components. Key adaptations include basalt rocks as a replacement for the solid storage medium and alternative thermal oils with specifications comparable to Therminol 66.
Q&A
The webinar concluded with an open discussion and Q&A session with the speakers.
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