Industry will contribute to a sustainable electricity network

22-06-2016

“Industry is facing major challenges. In the coming years, processes will have to become less dependent on fossil energy and emit significantly less CO2. At the same time, industry will play an active role in the development of new sustainable electricity networks,” says Sigrid Bollwerk, the ECN program development manager for Industrial Energy Efficiency.

“Efficient processes, re-use of waste heat and CO2 reduction in industry are the focus areas of our expertise. In close cooperation with our industrial partners we work on technology development and implementation. In addition, in 2015 we launched together with TNO the Shared Innovation Programme VoltaChem where we work  with industry and universities to develop technology for large-scale application of renewable energy in the chemical industry.

The ultimate goal is to establish a low-carbon industry (“decarbonisation of industry”). This is to be achieved by replacing fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) as far as possible by renewable alternatives and by capturing and reusing any CO2 that is still released. What’s more, the use of sustainable electricity also offers new opportunities. Short-term options are energy saving and the improvement of existing processes, for example by waste heat re-use and  more efficient conversion- and separation processes. Longer-term, the use of renewable electricity on a large scale in industrial settings offers great opportunities as a source of energy and even raw materials (such as hydrogen).

Sustainable grids

The electricity sector will profit from more flexible and sustainable grids. “Solar panels and wind turbines are important to produce renewable electricity, however, they are intermittent energy sources,” explains Bollwerk. “When the sun is shining and the wind is blowing there may be a surplus of electricity, but on cloudy, calm days there is a shortage.” She gives the example of Germany, where at times huge amounts of renewable energy go wasted because there is insufficient capacity to store or use it, while at other times industry has to burn more coal or gas because there is insufficient renewable capacity. “Researchers are working hard to find buffers or other ways to decouple renewable electricity production and consumption. One way is the use of batteries, another way is the use of industry to create flexibility in the grid by absorbing excess electricity in industrial processes or converting it into new products. This is a major challenge both to industry as well as the electricity sector.”

Win-win

ECN is currently cooperating with the chemical industry to develop technologies for large scale use of renewable energy in industry , focusing on Power2Heat and Power2Gas. ”This could take the form of a new generation of heat pumps. Electricity can drive heat pumps which convert excess waste heat into high temperature process heat, leading to re-use of waste heat. Another example is the conversion of water into hydrogen by renewable electricity. Combining this renewable hydrogen with captured CO2 offers possibilities for renewable feedstocks. This could be an important step towards a circular economy.”

Source: ECN

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