Techno-economic analysis of solar-powered electric float glass kiln

Glass is extensively used in aerospace,precision instruments, and various other fields, where it plays an irreplaceable role. Currently most furnaces producing float glass burn fossil fuels or use electrodes for heating, and most of the electrodes source their electrical energy from coal combustion, which not only increases carbon emissions, but also increases the cost of glass production. Exploring and applying renewable energy sources can solve the energy and the emission problems faced by glass kilns. In this paper, a novel system was proposed for powering an electric float glass melting kiln using solar power generation, and then was simulated and analyzed using Aspen Plus process simulation software to integrate the energy flows while meeting the requirements of the glass production process. The performance metrics of a traditional float glass melting kiln (TFGK) and a solar-powered electrical fused float glass melting kiln (SEFGK) are presented in the form of simulation results. A comparative analysis of SEFGK and TFGK reveals a 30.5 % reduction in production costs, a 36.5 % reduction in low-carbon production costs, an improvement in energy efficiency by 25 %, an increase in the probability of positive net present value (NPV) by 2.1 %, and a reduction in carbon emissions by 1373.75 kg/tglass. The implementation of SEFGK has been demonstrated to result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and production costs. As technology advances, this study offers a framework for the prospective integration of renewable energy in electric float glass melting kilns.