Europe’s energy-intensive industries face one of the biggest challenges on the path to climate neutrality: producing the high-temperature process heat required for manufacturing without relying on fossil fuels. The ELITHE project is addressing this challenge by developing innovative industrial electrification technologies capable of replacing conventional fossil fuel-based heating systems in sectors where direct electrification has traditionally been considered difficult. Through research, demonstration and collaboration across industry and academia, ELITHE is helping accelerate the transition towards cleaner, more competitive and more resilient European manufacturing.
High-temperature industrial processes are essential for producing ceramics, advanced materials and many other products that support Europe’s economy. However, these processes account for a significant share of industrial energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Electrifying industrial heat offers one of the most promising pathways to reducing emissions while strengthening Europe’s energy security and industrial competitiveness.
What is the ELITHE Project?
The ELITHE project is a Horizon Europe initiative dedicated to advancing industrial electrification through the development of innovative high-temperature electric heating technologies. Its objective is to demonstrate that energy-intensive industrial processes can be powered by clean electricity while maintaining the performance, efficiency and reliability required for modern manufacturing.
Unlike conventional fossil fuel-based furnaces, electrified heating systems offer the potential to significantly reduce direct CO₂ emissions, improve energy efficiency and increase compatibility with renewable electricity sources. ELITHE focuses on overcoming the remaining technical and operational barriers that have limited the adoption of these technologies in demanding industrial environments.
The project brings together research organisations, industrial partners and technology developers to design, optimise and validate new heating solutions under real operating conditions. By demonstrating these technologies at industrial scale, ELITHE aims to accelerate their commercial deployment across Europe.
Why Industrial Electrification Matters
Industrial process heat represents one of the largest remaining sources of greenhouse gas emissions within European manufacturing. While many industrial operations have successfully electrified auxiliary equipment, generating temperatures of several hundred degrees Celsius or more continues to rely predominantly on natural gas and other fossil fuels.
Replacing combustion-based heating with electricity is a crucial step towards achieving Europe’s climate neutrality targets. As electricity generation continues to become cleaner through renewable energy sources, electrified industrial processes can substantially reduce emissions while also improving air quality and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Industrial electrification also creates opportunities for smarter energy management. Electrified processes can be integrated with renewable electricity generation, demand response systems and future smart energy networks, helping industries become more flexible and resilient.
Advancing High-Temperature Industrial Processes
The ELITHE project develops advanced electrified heating technologies capable of delivering the high temperatures required by energy-intensive manufacturing industries.
Rather than simply replacing existing burners with electric alternatives, ELITHE takes a holistic approach that combines innovative heating concepts, process optimisation and digital control systems. The project investigates how electrified thermal processes can improve overall production efficiency while maintaining the strict product quality standards required by industrial manufacturers.
In addition to developing new heating technologies, ELITHE addresses the broader engineering challenges associated with industrial electrification. These include system integration, operational flexibility, thermal management, process optimisation and compatibility with existing production infrastructure.
By considering both technological innovation and practical implementation, the project helps ensure that the developed solutions can move beyond research laboratories and become viable options for industrial deployment.
Demonstrating Solutions in Real Industrial Environments
One of the key strengths of the ELITHE project is its emphasis on industrial validation.
New technologies must prove not only that they work in controlled laboratory conditions but also that they can operate reliably within demanding industrial production environments. For this reason, ELITHE validates its solutions through large-scale demonstrations, allowing project partners to assess technical performance, energy efficiency, operational reliability and industrial feasibility.
The demonstrations focus particularly on the ceramics sector and other manufacturing industries where high-temperature process heat is essential. These sectors are among the most challenging to decarbonise, making them ideal environments for demonstrating the potential of industrial electrification.
The knowledge generated during these demonstrations will support future replication across additional industrial sectors and manufacturing applications.
Supporting Europe’s Clean Industrial Transition
The ELITHE project contributes directly to Europe’s ambitions for a cleaner and more competitive industrial sector.
By enabling manufacturers to replace fossil fuel-based heating with advanced electrified technologies, the project supports several European policy objectives, including reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, improving energy security and accelerating the adoption of renewable electricity.
Beyond its technical innovations, ELITHE also strengthens collaboration between research organisations, technology providers and industrial companies. This collaborative approach helps ensure that new knowledge, best practices and technological advances can be transferred efficiently throughout the European industrial ecosystem.
As industries increasingly invest in decarbonisation, projects such as ELITHE provide practical solutions that can help companies modernise their production processes while remaining globally competitive.
Why the ELITHE Project Matters
The transition towards climate-neutral manufacturing requires practical technologies that industries can confidently adopt. The ELITHE project demonstrates that industrial electrification is becoming a realistic solution for some of Europe’s most energy-intensive manufacturing processes.
By developing innovative high-temperature electric heating technologies, validating them in real industrial environments and supporting their future deployment, ELITHE contributes to reducing emissions while improving industrial competitiveness and resilience.
As Europe continues its clean industrial transition, the ELITHE project represents an important step towards a future where high-temperature manufacturing can be powered by cleaner, more efficient and more sustainable energy solutions.
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Funding Acknowledgement
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101138325.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
