The growing demand for electricity is often talked about in the context of the expansion of the data centers industry, the popularization of electric cars or technologies such as heat pumps – Meanwhile, apart from them, the transforming industry will also be responsible for the growing demand for electricity. In the latest report of the Institute of Reform – “Electrification on the map of zero -emission solutions for the energy -consuming industry”, published as part of the series “Production under tension” – write experts Marta Anczewska and Klaudia Janik about it.
In addition to direct electrification, mentioned in the title of neutral solutions for climate, which can be used by industries such as chemical, steel, cement or aluminum industries, there are more – each will require large amounts of clean current. It will be absorbed by both stoves and electrolyzers powered by green hydrogen production or carbon dioxide capture installations from the atmosphere. Specifying the demand for renewable fuel will not succeed without a certain scale of imports.
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Not only electrification
“On the road to their (energy -consuming industries – editor's note), zero -emission is not only high costs and inadequate regulations, but also a lack of appropriate technologies” – indicate the authors of the report. Many industries still require the use of fossil fuels, e.g. oil derivatives in plastics, but also coking coal for steel or natural gas for hydrogen production.
Employment in the energy -consuming industry
In some industries, there are also so -called procedural emissions that occur as a result of chemical reactions not related to fuel burning – The leading example is cement production, where the distribution of limestone stone in the oven is responsible for over 60 percent. CO2 broadcast in the course of production. Another barrier for easy decarbonization is a high temperature heat demand, ensured today mainly by gas burning; Devices such as heat pumps are not able to provide temperatures above 200 degrees C.
Barriers in the industries that in the jargon of climate policy are called “difficult to limit” in terms of emissions, make it In addition to electrification, you need to look for additional ideas for them. Where raw materials from fossil fuels are used, synthetic fuels and green hydrogen (produced using electricity from renewable sources) are to be an alternative. The demand for high -temperature heat can be satisfied with, for example, by means of biomethane or small nuclear reactors. Finally, where avoiding emissions is impossible because they have a process, permanent character (at least at the current stage of technological development), carbon dioxide absorption and storage technologies (CCS) remain.
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Of course, each of these solutions is associated with further restrictions; It is their overcoming that seems to be the heart of the green industry transformation. For example, the green hydrogen, considered one of the EU priorities, is still several times more expensive than gray hydrogen, made of gas; In addition, it requires huge amounts of green electricity. High costs, but also limited availability of locations, but block the development of CCS installations. The quantitative limits, especially when using balanced, environmentally friendly criteria, also have such fuels as biomass and biogas with biomethane (the latter will also be needed to balance the weather -dependent renewable energy in the power system).
Barriers and solutions for the energy consuming industry
15 years of implementation
After all, in some areas of the energy -consuming industry, direct electrification works today. Examples that the authors of the report refer to are the glassworks of the glassworks in Działdowo (Heinz Glas Działdowo), but also melting arc stoves in steel smelters. For most industries analyzed by industries, the use of electricity in production is partly possible to implement, but while maintaining a technological mix; The electrification will go hand in hand with other substrates or energy carriers. The large potential of electrification is to have, for example, the ceramic industry, which is less frequently present in the public branch of the energy -consuming industry. Also in the production of aluminum or non -ferrous metals, including copper or lead, you can implement furnaces or electrolysis. Even the chemical industry, where hydrogen is a key substrate, is able to use technological steam from industrial heat pumps or electrode boilers.
“Decarbonization of the energy-consuming industry is a challenge with a longer time horizon than in the case of the low and medium-temperature industry. Part of the technology will not be commercially available in 2040-2050, which emphasizes the importance of strategic planning of energy transformation”- write Janik and Anczewska. As we said, variants of decarbonization through green hydrogen or CO2 capture will also require access to large amounts of zero -emission current. So it is known that you will need to build new powers, but also expand the network.
However, the project of the national plan in the field of energy and climate does not estimate the future increase in demand, nor does it say much about demanding hydrogen or synthetic fuels. According to experts, “great absent” in Polish strategic thought is a separate strategy of decarbonization for industry. As they state, such a document should grow from sectoral strategies, and in its composition, support instruments, legal facilitations, but also research and development goals must enter.
The decarbonization of industry is to require a strategy
Commercialization of crawling or expensive technology should also precede pilot and demonstration projects. In the opinion of Anczewska and Janik, the next 15 years are the time for those regarding green hydrogen, CCS installations or selected direct electrification methods, an undertaking. It is only after 2040 that the decarbonization of the energy -intensive industry will be able to exist on a larger scale, which coincides with the forecasted withdrawal of emission rights under the ETS.
The Union gives green light
Imports are a separate issue. The fact that a significant part of the future green hydrogen will be imported from abroad, provides, among others KPEIK project; The authors of the Report of the Reform Institute also favor the opinion that not all green technologies will be able to arise in Poland. “In some cases, the import of green semi -finished products such as green ammonia and methanol for the chemical industry or iron directly reduced dri for steel production” may be more profitable than the import of zero -emission hydrogen. Experts at the same time indicate that “for safety and resistance reasons“Some fragments of supply chains must remain in Poland and the EU.
EU policy provides a framework for the support of industrial decarbonization, of which the most important document is the Clean Industrial Deal from February this year. Brussels hopes that the dissemination of PPA contracts will help in lowering energy prices for large recipients, it has also simplified the rules for granting public aid by the Member States and recommends the reduction of electricity taxation. At the end of the year, the first general public pilot auction for electrified procedural heat is to take place.
The European Commission has made further gestures to the sectors in plans for steel or chemical industry, or in the Action Plan for affordable energy (although it is possible to discuss whether the proposals contained in them, e.g. CBAM coal tax, or tax incentives for green chemical recipients, are not too general). Detailed rules for providing public aid for investments in green hydrogen, electrification of production or CCS projects are described by the CISAF (Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework) document, adopted in June and in force until 2030. It also allows you to pay energy -consuming plants for electricity costs. The next committee initiatives are planned for the ends of 2025 and 2026.
Experts of the Reform Institute also remind you that the decarbonization of industry will also be available funds from the European Competitive Fund (more about this instrument in an interview with our editorial office was told by the president of the Green Economy Institute Marcin Korolec). Without the right national framework and development, e.g. income from ETS (which goes to the budgets of the Member States), the EU funds are not enough.
