The benefits of switching to electric process-heating technologies are evident. Traditionally, process heat is provided at temperatures well above the required levels, while electrical process-heating technologies deliver heat at precise temperatures.
The micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have emerged as an integral part of the Indian economy. Because of their ability to employ substantial semi-skilled and unskilled workforce, they are today playing an important role in India’s post-pandemic economic rebound.
A large number of businesses under the MSME sector rely on heat for various processes. These include baking, sintering of refractories and bricks, forging, casting of metals, etc. About half of the industrial heat in the sector is used for low-temperature processes (at less than 250°C), such as steam generation, drying, etc., and the other half is used for high-temperature processes (at greater than 1000°C) in refractories, bricks foundries, etc. According to The Report of The Working Group on Power for Twelfth Plan (2012-17) by the Ministry of Power, 85 per cent of the energy consumed in the MSME sector is thermal, indicating the sector’s heavy dependence on fossil fuels. Also, the thermal equipment used in process heating are not very energy efficient.
