{rfName}
In

Indexed in

License and Use

Icono OpenAccess

Citations

3

Altmetrics

Analysis of institutional authors

Benavente, Rosa MaríaAuthorPerdigones, AliciaAuthorGarcia, Jose LAuthorMazarron, Fernando RCorresponding Author

Share

June 10, 2024
Publications
>
Article
Sí

Influence of hot water consumption patterns on the viability of low-temperature solar thermal systems in the food industry

Publicated to: Results in Engineering. 22 102140- - 2024-06-01 22(), DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2024.102140

Authors:

Benavente, RM; Perdigones, A; Baptista, F; García, JL; Mazarrón, FR
[+]

Affiliations

Univ Evora, CHANGE Global Change & Sustainabil Inst, Escola Ciencias & Tecnol, Dept Engn Rural, P-7006554 Evora, Portugal - Author
Univ Evora, MED Medmediterranean Inst Agr Environm & Dev, Escola Ciencias & Tecnol, P-7006554 Evora, Portugal - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid, Escuela Tecn Super Ingn Agron Alimentaria & Biosi, Dept Ingn Agroforestal, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author
See more

Abstract

The thermal demand in agri-food industries is characterised by its considerable variability, hindering the implementation of Solar Water Heating Systems (SWHS). The main objective of the study is to provide an overview of how consumption patterns influence the profitability and energy savings of SWHS in the sector, while also identifying additional key variables that affect their viability. For this purpose, approximately 1,300,000 cases have been examined, considering a wide range of consumption patterns, economic variables, and locations. Demand seasonality, weekly frequency and energy prices exhibit the greatest impact on the feasibility of SWHS. Uniformity of daily demand, location and investment cost are also determinants. Thus, single-day-per-week consumption patterns make SWHS unviable in most scenarios. However, with only three non-consecutive days, feasibility increases significantly, achieving paybacks of less than 5 years and energy savings of over 40 % when conditions are highly favorable. In strongly seasonal industries, the viability of SWHS is seriously compromised. The payback in patterns with a peak consumption in the early morning can double the value with uniform one (e.g., from 4 to 8 years in the most favorable scenarios at a price of 0.1 /kWh). The results tables reflecting payback and energy savings in thousands of different scenarios represent a valuable tool for decision-making in industries. By looking for the scenario with the most similar characteristics, it is possible to estimate the profitability and savings of the SWHS in a given industry, as well as the possible variations when changing the assumed variables.
[+]

Keywords

Consumption patternEnergy savingEvacuated tube collectorHeating systemOptimizationPerformancePlanProfitabilitProfitabilitySeasonalitySolar water -heating systemSolar water-heating system

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Results in Engineering due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2024 there are still no calculated indicators, but in 2023, it was in position 6/179, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Engineering, Multidisciplinary. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2026-04-24:

  • WoS: 1
  • Scopus: 2
[+]

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-24:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 18 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

    It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

    • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
    • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/87554/

    As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

    • Views: 130
    • Downloads: 54
    [+]

    Leadership analysis of institutional authors

    This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Portugal.

    There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (BENAVENTE LEON, ROSA MARIA) and Last Author (RUIZ MAZARRON, FERNANDO).

    the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been RUIZ MAZARRON, FERNANDO.

    [+]

    Project objectives

    El estudio persigue los siguientes objetivos principales: analizar cómo los patrones de consumo de agua caliente afectan la rentabilidad y el ahorro energético de los sistemas solares térmicos de baja temperatura en la industria alimentaria; identificar las variables clave, como la estacionalidad de la demanda, frecuencia semanal y precios de la energía, que influyen en la viabilidad de estos sistemas; evaluar el impacto de la uniformidad diaria de la demanda, ubicación y coste de inversión en la factibilidad de los sistemas; determinar la influencia de patrones de consumo específicos, como días únicos o no consecutivos, en el retorno de la inversión y ahorro energético; y proporcionar una herramienta para estimar la rentabilidad y ahorro en diferentes escenarios industriales.
    [+]

    Most relevant results

    El estudio analiza cómo los patrones de consumo de agua caliente afectan la viabilidad de sistemas solares térmicos de baja temperatura en la industria alimentaria. Se identificaron como variables clave la estacionalidad de la demanda, la frecuencia semanal y los precios energéticos, que impactan significativamente la rentabilidad y el ahorro energético. Los patrones de consumo de un solo día por semana resultan inviables en la mayoría de los casos, mientras que con tres días no consecutivos se logra una viabilidad notable, con periodos de amortización inferiores a 5 años y ahorros energéticos superiores al 40 % en condiciones favorables. La demanda estacional severa reduce considerablemente la viabilidad, duplicando el periodo de amortización en patrones con picos matutinos frente a demandas uniformes.
    [+]