Solar solutions for textile production

Solar thermal energy is an ideal energy source for a range of processes in textile production, enabling substantial cuts in energy costs and CO₂ emissions.

More and more textile producers are investigating the possibilities with solar thermal energy to increase both profitability and sustainability. Textile production processing consumes substantial amounts of energy, most of it as low to medium temperature heat, making it a perfect fit for solar thermal energy.

Cut your energy costs

Up to 50% of the energy used in a typical textile mill can be replaced with solar energy, resulting in lower OPEX and higher profitability.

Reduce CO₂ emissions

Replacing carbon-based fuels with solar thermal energy leads to dramatic cuts in CO₂ emissions. The textile industry is under strong consumer pressure to reduce their emissions, making the reduction of emissions a key priority. Companies such as IKEA and H&M have committed to net-zero CO2 emissions from their products already in 2030.

Protect your results against rising energy prices

The more fossil energy you replace with solar energy, the more protected your bottom line is against sudden increases in fuel prices.

Build your brand

Cotton has a strong, natural connection to the sun. Using solar energy in the manufacturing process brings new opportunities for positive brand building.

Solar thermal applications in textile production

There are many ways to integrate a solar thermal energy system with a textile production line. The energy can be supplied to the processes on either the utility supply level or the process level. Absolicon’s team of application experts support you in finding the optimum solution based on the operating conditions in your plant.

Bleaching
Washing
Dyeing
Drying
Heat setting
Preheating of boiler feedwater

Industry solutions

Examples of where solar thermal heat can be used in a textile mill include:

Heating of water used for bleaching, dyeing, and washing. It is easy to replace conventional fuels with solar thermal in these applications.
Drying using industrial dryers requires large amounts of heat, most commonly steam or electric heating. The incoming air can be heated with solar energy prior to the conventional heating supply, ensuring the set temperature of the air is reached.

Heat storage

Adding heat storage to your solar energy system allows you to operate on solar thermal energy 24 hours per day. It is charged during the day when the output from the solar energy system is at peak level and is discharged during the night.

There are several different types of heat storages, the most common solution is to store hot water in a set of well-insulated tanks. If you decide to implement a heat storage solution, we can support you during the design phase and help optimize the complete system, including the solar collectors, heat storage, and process integration.

Get started

Download our application brochure by clicking the button below, and contact us for an initial discussion about the opportunities with solar thermal energy and how it could be applied in your plant.