Market penetration of solar heat is challenged by high costs, low awareness, and perceived risks. These challenges are no different from what solar PV and wind have faced and can therefore also be mitigated by the same market strategies.

Solar thermal can produce clean heat to run processes that cause a third of global carbon emissions. In this article, I argue that a $1 Trillion pot of gold may await the right solutions.

Wind turbines and solar cells generate electricity. Electricity can also be produced by solar panels that - like magnifying glasses - concentrate sunlight to high temperatures. This article compares use-cases and their consequent economics.

13-14% of global carbon emissions are caused by heat-driven industrial processes up to 400ºC/750ºF. Annually, these emissions increase at more than double the rate of emissions from transport, electricity, and buildings.

You are in the same boat as possibly most other people - but nevertheless wrong - if you think the world will become a clean, carbon emission free place as soon as most energy demanding processes have been electrified and powered by solar cells and wind turbines.

The same sustainable solution, sold at the same price to the same customer delivering the same performance for the same purpose in the same place, produces energy at costs somewhere between 50 and 200% the price of natural gas.

Outside cities are industrial zones and outside industrial zones is farmland with plenty of room for solar fields.

Taking advantage of the relatively low costs of long-duration heat storage is one way to further increase renewables share of the energy market.

The ability to store excess energy is key in transitioning from a fossil-powered energy system to a system built on sustainable methods of energy generation. This article is a call-out to all the inventive minds and resourceful investors out there. There should many opportunities in this space over the next many years.

Higher temperatures give more potential use cases, reduce the volumes needed to process or store the heat, and increase efficiency of several processes including conversion efficiencies of turbines turning heat into electricity.

So far, the only available methods for large-scale sustainable production of heat at sufficiently high temperatures come at costs 2-3 times the fossil-fired alternatives.

Heat is likely the single most missed opportunity for entrepreneurs, investors and the global climate alike. Heat production uses almost half the world’s energy consumption. 2.5x as much energy is used for heat than for power, i.e. electricity.