The pressure is on for industries to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Tackling Scope 1 emissions—those directly produced from on-site fuel combustion—is a crucial first step. This post explores abatement technologies and strategic approaches from our masterclasses offering actionable insights for reducing your facility’s direct emissions footprint.
From adopting electrification of heat to smarter energy management and process optimization, we break down the key pathways toward industrial decarbonization using today’s most effective abatement technologies.
Electrifying Heat: Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels
One of the primary abatement technologies for eliminating scope one emissions is the electrification of heat. Businesses that rely on burning coal, oil, natural gas, propane, or diesel for heating are prime candidates for this transition. By replacing this equipment with direct electric heating for various functions like boilers, direct-fired furnaces, space heating, domestic hot water, and sterilization, facilities shift their emissions to scope two, which can be progressively decarbonized as the electricity grid incorporates more renewable energy sources.
Investment in lower carbon alternatives has already led to a 20% reduction in the carbon intensity of electricity production in the US over 12 years. While the cost-effectiveness of direct electric heating can vary (it was more expensive than biomass or heat pumps in the UK some years ago), advancements in technology offer compelling solutions.
- Industrial heat pumps have evolved to efficiently deliver hot water up to 85°C, with systems under development reaching 120°C. With a Coefficient of Performance (COP) ranging from 2.5 to 6, they can deliver significantly more heat output than electricity input. This does require a shift to a hot water distribution system, potentially repurposing existing infrastructure.
- For higher temperature requirements, mechanical vapour recompression (MVR) systems can create steam from vaporised hot water with a good COP (e.g., 4.0 for lifting to three bar steam). Combining heat pumps for initial heating with MVR can allow facilities to continue using their existing steam networks, replacing traditional boilers.
Smart Energy Management and Grid Participation
As industrial sites electrify, they gain opportunities for energy management and participation in grid services. Demand response programs allow large energy users to flex their demand in response to stresses on the transmission system, particularly with increasing renewable energy generation. This can provide a revenue stream for participating sites.
- Facilities with flexible assets like battery storage, HVAC systems, heat pumps, and EV chargers can optimize their energy consumption based on market signals and forecasting models.
- Software platforms can adapt set points of these assets, and loads can be shifted to better manage grid import and potentially earn revenue through demand response compensation.
- Refining energy procurement strategies to leverage this flexibility can also reduce exposure to volatile energy prices.
The digitalization of the site is crucial for effectively managing these flexible assets and achieving green goals.
Process Optimization: Unlocking Efficiencies with Data
Beyond capital-intensive equipment upgrades, process optimization offers significant potential for reducing scope one emissions through low-cost or no-cost solutions.
- Energy models, built using historical data and AI tools, can identify the main drivers of energy consumption, such as gas used for steam generation. Granular data (daily or more frequent) leads to more accurate models. Human expertise is essential to validate these models and identify meaningful insights.
- By analyzing these models and leveraging process expertise, optimal operating conditions for equipment can be identified and implemented to reduce energy consumption without impacting production. A real case study showed how optimizing steam consumption for a client led to savings of around 922 tonnes of carbon per year.
- Energy models can also be used for forecasting energy consumption and costs, aiding in purchasing decisions and risk management. They can even create virtual meters to estimate energy use for specific equipment where physical meters are not yet installed.
- Continuous improvement is at the heart of process optimization, focusing on identifying and implementing ongoing enhancements to energy efficiency.
Practical Tips and Use Cases
- Assess your heating temperature profile: Understand the specific temperature requirements of your processes to identify suitable electrification technologies like heat pumps. Many processes operate below 90°C and don't require high-temperature combustion.
- Conduct a green energy survey: Evaluate the availability of renewable energy sources like solar, biomass, and biogas in your facility's surrounding environment. Consider the potential for on-site solar arrays with battery storage.
- Leverage energy models: Start building energy models using readily available tools like Excel or Google Sheets to understand your energy consumption patterns. Use granular data for better insights.
- Explore demand response programs: Investigate opportunities to participate in demand response by assessing your site's flexible assets and the potential for load shifting.
- Learn from case studies: The example of the oil seed plant in Germany that installed a heat pump to displace steam demonstrates the significant fiscal savings (almost half a million euros annually) and quick payback (3.42 years) achievable through these technologies.
Glossary
- Scope One Emissions: Direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources owned or controlled by a company, such as fuel combustion on-site.
- Scope Two Emissions: Indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.
- Electrification of Heat: Replacing fossil fuel-based heating with electric heating technologies.
- Industrial Heat Pump: A device that transfers thermal energy from a cooler space to a warmer one using electricity, offering high energy efficiency.
- Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR): An energy-efficient process that compresses vapor to increase its temperature and pressure, often used to create steam.
- Coefficient of Performance (COP): A measure of the efficiency of a heat pump or refrigeration system, indicating the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the energy consumed.
- Demand Response: A program that incentivizes energy users to reduce their electricity consumption during peak demand periods or when the grid is stressed.
- Flexible Assets: Equipment or processes with electrical loads that can be adjusted or shifted in time, such as battery storage, HVAC systems, and EV chargers.
- Energy Model: A digital representation of a facility's energy consumption patterns, used for analysis, optimization, and forecasting.
- Data Granularity: The level of detail in data, for example, monthly versus daily or minute-by-minute energy consumption readings.
Conclusion
Reducing industrial scope one emissions is not only environmentally imperative but also increasingly economically viable. By strategically adopting low-carbon fuel alternatives, embracing smart energy management practices, and diligently optimizing industrial processes through data-driven insights, facilities can achieve significant emission reductions and contribute to a more sustainable future. The abatement technologies and strategies discussed offer a pathway for industries to meet both midterm and long-term net zero goals.
Ready to explore how these abatement technologies can cut your facility's scope one emissions? Watch our full masterclass on innovative technologies for reducing scope 1 emissions.