Electrifying industry makes sense … just ask the Hakutsuru Sake company in Kobe, Japan

Many industries need heat as a part of their processes, and this often comes from the burning of fossil fuels. Such is the case with the production of Sake, or Japanese rice wine, where both hot and cold water are required as part of the brewing and bottling process. Water is typically heated by natural gas, an imported energy source which is a source of carbon dioxide emissions in Japan.

Electricity can get the job done

 

The Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Company, located in Kobe, opted for electricity when building its new bottling facilities. State of the art heat pumps were installed to provide both the hot and cold water required.

Thanks to this solution, suggested by Kansai Electric Power Company, operating costs and CO₂ emissions were reduced by 24% and 34% respectively compared to the conventional system such as gas-fired boilers to supply hot water and refrigerators, freezers or chillers to supply cold water. An ice thermal storage system was also included for additional cooling capacity, limiting peak hour power demand

Japan’s electricity mix is increasingly carbon-free, with the restarting of nuclear power plants and the increased use of renewable energy, particularly solar power.

Electrification of industry–a solution for climate change.

China’s Electricity Demand Increases Thanks to Economic Growth and a Shift from Fossil Fuels

In 2017, total electricity consumption in China was 6.3 trillion kWh, 6.6% higher than in 2016. Agriculture’s consumption increased by 7.3%, industry by 6.6%, services by 10.7% and the residential sector by 7.8%. China’s power generation mix in 2017 has 37.8% of non‑fossil capacity (+11.2% since 2010), generating 29.1% of its electricity (+9.8% since 2010).

China’s electricity demand in 2020, 2030 and 2050 is predicted to rise to 7.5, 10.3 and 13.6 trillion kWh respectively. In total, the share of electricity in final energy demand in 2020, 2030 and 2050 will be 25.2%, 30.4% and 40.4% respectively.

In industry, the share of electricity in total energy demand will increase from 22.6% in 2015 to 27.6% in 2020, 33.1% in 2030 and 39.8% in 2050. In transportation, the share of electricity in total energy demand will increase from 3.9% in 2015 to 6.1% in 2020, 14.1% in 2030 and 33.2% in 2050. In the commercial sector, the share of electricity in total energy demand will increase from 34.7% in 2015 to 37.8% in 2020, 40.5% in 2030 and 47.3% in 2050. In the residential sector, the share of electricity in total energy demand will increase from
25.6% in 2015 to 28.4% in 2020, 34.0% in 2030 and 47.3% in 2050.

In the period from 2015 to 2030, industry will be the main driver for electricity demand growth, contributing 40% of the total growth. In the period from 2030-2050, the contribution from the industry sector will become negative, while the residential, transportation and commercial sectors will make contributions of 52%, 42% and 39% respectively to the total growth.

Thanks to its electrification initiative, involving nearly 100,000 projects, State Grid replaced 115 GWh of other energies with electricity in 2017. The period 2013-2017 saw an acceleration of State Grid’s achievements with a total electrification figure of 358 GWh. State Grid’s target for 2018 is 130 GWh, mainly from the installation of electric furnaces and replacing oil furnaces in airports and ports.

State Grid believes that the trends of electrification in both energy supply and demand side are speeding up, so called re-electrification. The supply side shows large-scale development and utilization of clean energy, especially new energy. The demand side witnesses deep substitution of fossil fuels by electricity, such as transportation electrification, electric motors, electric heating. The next-generation power system, as the fundamental platform of the energy transition, will become interconnected, intelligent, flexible, and controllable.

EDF’s Subsidiary Dalkia Recovers Secondary Energy from Arcelormittal’s Site to Fuel Dunkirk Urban Network

EDF’s subsidiary Dalkia specializes in supplying high-pressure steam, hot water, compressed air and cogeneration solutions. It also helps
companies to reduce their energy consumption through an array of services ranging from individual assessments to optimization of sourcing and maintenance contracts.

In Dunkirk (North of France), Dalkia recovers the lost energy from ArcelorMittal’s industrial site, and injects it into the city’s district heating network. The 40 km long network heats the city hall, a swimming pool, the university, a shopping mall and thousands of housing units.

There is a two-fold economic and environmental benefit: for ArcelorMittal, a revenue stream from heat as a by-product of industrial processes while reducing its ecological footprint; for the city, stable energy costs for the heating network and a bill reduction of 15-20% compared to oil or gas, and 20,000 tonnes of CO₂ avoided each year.

Thanks to its “Eco-impact” solution, Dalkia helps to create value from previously unexploited energy. By recovering site waste, industrial actors contribute directly to the regional effort towards the energy transition. Waste becomes a new local source of renewable energy, helping to diversify the energy mix in the region.