Heat generation from waste heat for the Photonis industrial site – 16,000 m²
The surface ➡️ 16,000 m² ➡️ Industrial site and offices in Brive-la-Gaillarde (19)
The reference energy ➡️ Gas heating
-73%
reduction of CO₂ emissions
-61%
reduction of energy consumption
Background
The Photonis (Exosens) industrial site in Brive-la-Gaillarde comprises production halls and offices that were historically heated using gas.
As part of a proactive initiative to decarbonize and reduce energy consumption, the company sought a new heating solution.
It also wanted the new system to combine renewable energy with a previously wasted resource: waste heat from the cooling units serving its industrial processes.
A distinctive feature of the site is the presence of two cooling units that generate a significant—though fluctuating—thermal resource directly linked to industrial operations.
Challenges
The objectives for Photonis with this new heat generation solution were to:
✅ Significantly reduce CO₂ emissions, aligning with a Net Zero trajectory
✅ Leverage existing waste heat—currently lost—by storing it for later use, while managing a variable heat supply dependent on industrial process operations
✅ Limit reliance on gas to hedge against price volatility
✅ Find a provider capable of guaranteeing system performance
✅ Future-proof the facility by enabling potential cooling production
Solutions and Objectives
To address these challenges, Accenta has designed a heating solution based on geostorage that enables the utilization of waste heat, comprising:
✅ An array of 35 probes, each 143 meters deep
✅ 2 geothermal heat pumps
✅ Recovery of waste heat from the two cooling units and its storage in the ground for later use
✅ AI-driven equipment control to manage regulation and predict production needs, ensuring optimal long-term energy performance
✅ Performance guarantee
✅ Potential for future expansion to include cooling production as part of the site’s future development
Targeted outcomes:
✅ 73% reduction in CO₂ emissions
✅ 61% reduction in energy consumption
✅ Utilization of local, previously untapped waste energy; phase-out of gas; and use of a local renewable energy source: geothermal energy
✅ Sustainable improvement of the site’s overall energy performance
✅ Direct contribution to Photonis’s industrial decarbonization strategy
Thank and acknowledge Photonis for placing its trust in this flagship project to recover waste heat at an industrial site.
