Electrifying European industrial heat: mapping of heat demand, technologies and applications

Electrification of process heat is a key pathway for decarbonizing European industry, which accounts for approximately 20% of total CO 2 emissions in the European Union. Yet direct electrification remains underrepresented in energy planning, owing to the lack of detailed, harmonized data on industrial heat demand across sectors, temperature levels, and geographical regions suited for energy system models. In this work, we address this gap by developing a comprehensive and consistent mapping of industrial heat demand across 12 industrial sub-sectors in 27 EU countries. The dataset distinguishes heat demand by temperature levels, low (<100 °C), medium (100–400 °C), high (400–1000 °C), and very high (>1000 °C), and identifies the corresponding potential for electrification via power-to-heat technologies. Using latest available data, we find that industrial useful energy demand in the EU27 amounted to 1266 TWh, of which 53% of process heat is required below 400 °C, which is largely addressable with commercially available technologies. We complement this with a comprehensive review of current and emerging power-to-heat and storage technologies for industrial thermal processes. The key result of this study is a harmonized, country-resolved, open-access dataset of heat demand and a review of adequate technologies, designed to support the improved representation of industrial heat demand and electrification pathways in energy system models. By refining the spatial and technological detail, our work enables more accurate modelling of decarbonization pathways for industry through direct electrification.