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Date & Time
June 26, 2024; 15h30 - 16h30 CEST
Speakers & Panellists
- Alexandra Langenheld, Lead Industrial Electrification and Efficiency Policy (Agora Industry)
- Dr. Matthias Rehfeldt, Researcher (Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI)
- Marco Giuli, Project Manager Climate-Neutral Industry EU (Agora Industry)
Description
The industrial transition to electrification in Europe has become a top priority and is set to dominate the next EU policy debate (2024–2029) following elections in June. Achieving a climate-neutral industry will require the efficient decarbonisation of industrial heat. Process heating is the largest energy use in the industrial sector, responsible for 47% of industrial energy demand and roughly three-quarters of industrial CO2 emissions. If left unaddressed, existing barriers could affect the exploitation of future potentials, and the diffusion of direct electrification technologies will remain low.
Join our Electrification Academy webinar on 26 June at 3:30 p.m. CEST and learn about the potential of direct electrification to replace 90% of fossil fuels in supplying process heat to European industry. Alexandra Langenheld, lead industrial electrification and efficiency policy at Agora Industry, and Dr. Matthias Rehfeldt, researcher at Fraunhofer ISI will present results from their new study and provide the audience with:
- An overview of important applications to be electrified
- Potential technologies for process heat electrification
- Main barriers to current diffusion of these technologies
- Recommendations on policy measures needed to accelerate industrial electrification
Recordings
Key Messages
- Achieving climate-neutral industry requires an efficient decarbonisation of industrial heat. Three quarters of industrial CO2 emissions result from burning fossil fuels that provide process heat for the production of industrial goods, such as chemicals, steel, paper, food and beverages. Process heat constitutes the single most significant energy use by industry.
- Direct electrification technologies expected to be available by 2035 could meet 90 percent of the energy demand not yet electrified by European industry. Technologies readily available today, such as heat pumps and electric arc furnaces, could already deliver more than 60 percent of this demand. To tap into this potential, quickly ramping up technologies for the direct electrification of process heat at all temperature levels is key.
- A broad range of electrification technologies exists to meet specific process needs. Heat pumps and electric boilers can alreadygenerate up to 200 and 500 degrees Celsius, respectively, for chemical processes. Electric arc furnaces are widely employed for steel production at 1 800 degrees. Technologies such as resistance heating, induction heating and electric steam crackers will become available in the coming yearsand cover all ranges, from 100 to 2 500 degrees.
- A targeted EU action plan is needed to address the economic and organisationalbarriers to direct electrification and ensure it is a key transition strategy for industry across Europe. Major elements include establishing an industrial alliance to facilitate market introduction of technologies and setting deployment targets to enable investments. Funding schemes should explicitly support direct electrification projects, while regulators should integrate electrification in grid planning and allow industry easy grid access.
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