A new series of info packs shows how six energy-intensive plants across Europe are cutting costs and emissions and becoming flexible grid players.
The FLEXIndustries consortium has published six info packs, one for each demo site. Each one shows how an energy-intensive plant is cutting energy costs and emissions and becoming a more flexible player in the energy system. Every info pack follows the same path. It sets out the site’s energy challenge, describes the solution deployed, presents the key figures, and explains the economic, environmental and operational benefits and how the approach can be replicated elsewhere.
Three themes run across the series:
- Waste heat recovery. Heat that used to be released into the air is now reused or turned into electricity. At MIL Oil Hellas in Serres (Greece), an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) unit generates 150 kW of electricity from the waste heat of the biogas engines. At STOMANA Industry in Pernik (Bulgaria), a transcritical ORC coupled with a battery recovers heat from a steel reheating furnace. At K-Flex Polska (Poland), self-cleaning heat exchangers recover heat from contaminated furnace exhaust that conventional systems could not handle.
- On-site renewables and storage. Ford Otosan in Kocaeli (Türkiye) combines a 3.68 MW photovoltaic plant with SolarWall air heating. Suanfarma Italia in Rovereto pairs rooftop PV and a battery with a high-temperature heat pump that sells recovered heat to the city’s district heating network. At Fertinagro Nutrigenia in Utrillas (Spain), a battery captures surplus solar power that previously went to waste.
- Digital flexibility. At several sites, the FLEXIndustries platform and its decision support system use market prices and forecasts to decide whether to self-consume, store or sell each kilowatt-hour. This turns the plants into active participants in the grid.
Each info pack closes with replication pathways for similar plants and for other sectors, from cement and ceramics to food processing and district energy.
Find the info packs in our resources section and explore how FLEXIndustries has turned industrial energy challenges into flexibility opportunities!
Photo credits: Homa Appliances via Unsplash