Electrification of Heating in A Textile Plant in India - A Case Study
Authors: Ali Hasanbeigi, Cecilia Springer
The textile and apparel industry accounts for about 2% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making it a significant player in discussions on climate change and decarbonization. A key driver of the textile industry's GHG emissions is its reliance on thermal energy for steam generation and hot water production. In many regions, thermal energy, or heating, accounts for more than half of industrial energy consumption.
These processes, traditionally powered by fossil fuels, not only significantly contribute to the industry's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions but are also relatively inefficient, with substantial energy losses in steam generation and distribution. Electrification of heating offers a promising avenue for decarbonization, especially when paired with low-carbon electricity.
Numerous textile manufacturing facilities rely on fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and fuel oil for their heating requirements. Coal, in particular, is highly carbon-intensive and a major driver of CO2 emissions within the textile industry, also contributing to significant onsite air pollution and other environmental issues.
India is one of the world’s top textile producers. The country has set a net-zero emissions target for 2070, and many apparel brands that source from suppliers in India are setting earlier net-zero targets. Due to resource availability, many textile facilities in India use coal-fired boilers for process heating.
This case study summary shares the results of a comprehensive analysis of the transition from traditional energy sources, largely coal, to electric steam boilers, electric hot oil boilers, or steam-generating heat pumps at textile facilities in India. The full assessment included facility-level data, and this is an anonymized summary for a representative textile plant in India.
The case study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility, energy and CO2 footprint, energy costs, and additional electric load associated with electrification technologies in the context of India's dynamic landscape and the specific operational requirements of a representative textile facility.
To read the full document and see the complete results and analysis of this new study, Download the full summary from the link above.
Interested in data and decarbonization studies on the global textile and apparel industry? Check out our list of textile industry publications on the Textile Sustainability Hub.