Feasibility assessment of the use of power plant-sourced waste heat for plant factory heating considering spatial configuration

Japan is facing the twin challenges of energy conservation and climate change in the post-Fukushima era. Industrial and power plant-sourced waste heat is a significant potential resource for nearby sinks. However, because industrial facilities are not usually optimally located for waste heat utilization, most of the potential heat is emitted to the surrounding environment. To achieve the future targets of the efficient energy provision network system in the coastal regions of Fukushima that experienced tsunami devastation, this study developed a simulation process model integrating spatial analysis, technology systems, and land use controls to maximize the utilization of waste heat from coal-fired thermal power plants to nearby plant factories. Shinchi-town in Fukushima Prefecture was selected as a case study, in which an energy symbiosis network was being constructed. Our findings indicated that the waste heat system provided more environmental benefits than the individual boiler system. With waste heat utilization, fuel oil consumption is reduced by 16.05 TJ/year, while total CO2 emissions are reduced by 1204 ton/year. In addition, as economic feasibility depends on the distance between the power plant and the factory, cost-effective areas with regards to heat supply were identified based on cost-benefit analysis and geographic information system techniques. Finally, policy implications to support the construction of an energy symbiosis network are proposed and discussed. Such a resolution with energy symbiosis and waste heat utilization would shed light on the Japanese energy dilemma.