Abstract
This study analysed one of Europe’s most unexplored energy fields: process cooling (PC). The work assessed the final energy consumption (FEC) for PC of the European Union (and United Kingdom) with a 2016 baseline. An extensive literature review of datasets and journal papers was performed to address knowledge gaps by creating a high-quality dataset with factual accuracy, reliability, and completeness. Installed cooling units, equivalent full load hours, energy efficiency levels (seasonal energy performance ratio), and capacities installed were the essential investigated parameters to perform the FEC calculations. The latter were referred to as vapour compression (VC) chillers (air-to-water or water-to-water). Overall, the results of the EU (plus UK) FEC for the PC sector resulted in more than 110 TWh/year, accounting for around 10% of the total energy consumption for electricity in Europe. It is worth mentioning that several non-VC technologies are utilized for PC purposes in various sectors and subsectors primarily in the industry and the tertiary sectors, which are rapidly growing and, therefore, their cooling consumption is increasing. The current research paper aimed to raise awareness of the PC sector by supporting the European Union policies toward a more sustainable and decarbonized industry in the upcoming decades.