The steel industry is at the heart of the global economy as it is fundamental to a successful circular economy. Yet it also generates a significant amount of waste heat. As coal still meets 75% of the energy demand for converting iron to steel in the furnace, its footprint unlikely to reduce soon.
This creates challenges for a net-zero roadmap, with efforts to meet green steel production requiring dramatic re-designs to integrate renewable resources and shift from fossil-based fuels to hydrogen sourced from renewable
energy.
Energy efficiency is a vital lever for industry competitiveness, and a driver to increase sustainability. Adopting material efficiency strategies to reduce losses and optimize energy use throughout the value chain can curb demand and thus support net-zero goals.
Thermal energy storage is the solution to efficiently utilizing remaining sources of unutilized waste heat in steel and iron making, by coping with the volatility of batch processes and balancing supply and demand.
Coal still meets 75% of the energy demand for converting iron to steel in the furnace
All too often in the industry, valuable high temperature heat cannot be re-used within operational processes and needs to be released as waste heat. Just hours later, at the same site or at the neighbour’s factory, a gas boiler is starting to provide steam for other processes (e.g. process heat, steam degassing) – but now it’s too late to repurpose the lost energy.
Storing waste heat and using for steam on demand is the missing link towards a better solution, making steam available on-demand dramatically reducing plant fuel and operating costs.
All too often in industry valuable high temperature heat from batch processes in furnaces, kilns etc comes in stops and starts. Processes to transform this waste heat into valuable electricity such as Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) rely on constant input, leading to further wastage.
Storing waste heat and turning it to power with our storage system is the missing link towards a better solution, enabling constant electricity production using ORC from waste heat. This innovative approach means reducing plant and electricity costs and increasing independence from the grid.
Are you interested in ENERGYNEST, or have any questions regarding your green energy or our applications?
Don’t hesitate to drop us a line.
+47 66 77 94 60
The production unit of Avery Dennison in Belgium is shifting their heat production from natural gas (NG) to Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST).