Environmental benefits of the industrial energy symbiosis approach integrating renewable energy sources

Industry sector accounts for almost 40% of final energy demand and is responsible for one-fifth of global energy-related CO₂ emissions. A viable pathway to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry sector is represented by the industrial energy symbiosis, that promotes inter-firm energy exchanges and the sharing of energy-related resources. While a single firm comes across technical and financial barriers that often hamper the implementation of energy conservation projects, the cooperation between firms can enable energy saving measures and the use of renewable energy sources at industry level. Considering a case study involving an energy intensive industry, the study analyses the potential environmental benefits of the industrial energy symbiosis approach integrating renewable energy sources. The research suggests a methodology to design strategic energy symbiosis connections, advantageous for the involved firms, with the objective of reducing carbon emissions and economic costs. The methodology is based on the mathematical optimization through mixed integer linear programming. combined with the environmental analysis conducted with the life-cycle assessment method. The application of the methodology to the case study provides a scenario outlining all the potential energy flows, that are evaluated respect to the state-of-the-art (reference) scenario and alternative electrification strategies, showing the potential environmental benefits.