Flexible power demand in electrically driven industrial processes – new projects funded
NWO has recently announced funding for two projects focused on flexible power demand in electrically driven industrial processes. The organization is providing almost 3.2 million euros for the projects, with private co-funding bringing the total available funding to over 4.5 million euros. This funding will support research into making industrial power demand more flexible to better match future energy supply.
Solar and wind energy do not provide constant electricity output, while current industry requires steady supply. To prepare industry for a power supply dominated by solar and wind energy, significant adjustments are necessary. The funding call aims to explore the required technical, economic, and social adaptations and to address barriers in developing these technologies.
The two funded projects emerged from collaborative workshops organized by NWO, where industry representatives and scientists worked together to develop joint proposals.
One of these projects is FLEXPower-Flexibility in Electrical Power from Steam-Heated Industrial Processes, led by principal investigator Prof. Dr. Ir. D.M.J. Smeulders from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). The consortium includes partners Alliander, Brabetech, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Lamb Weston, Nobian, PLUSS, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, and TNO.
The challenge to deliver renewable industrial heat
Currently, 80% of final industrial energy demand is in the form of heat for steam, ovens, and furnaces. While replacing these systems with electrical heat pumps will reduce CO2 emissions, electrification faces challenges due to the availability of low-cost electricity, which is affected by unpredictable and variable renewable power input to the grid, as well as grid congestion. This situation necessitates new methods to match renewable electricity supply with industrial demand. The solution involves operating processes more flexibly and implementing heat storage systems to ensure continuous process heat availability.
A spotlight on consortium partner Brabetech
“At Brabetech, our mission is to accelerate the energy transition by building molten salt systems that deliver renewable industrial heat. Industrial heat accounts for around twenty percent of our total energy needs, while over eighty percent of this heat is currently produced using fossil fuels. To successfully develop future proof technology for a green process industry, working together with scientists and our end users is essential,” says Thomas Stroes, Commercial Director at Brabetech, Eindhoven.
Picture credit: Brabetech / Bart van Overbeeke
Brabetech has established its role in the energy transition by achieving several key milestones:
- The company is an active participant in both the FLEXpower and HeatFlex consortia, working closely with fundamental science researchers.
- Over the past five years, Brabetech has developed molten salt technology from a laboratory concept to a market-ready commercial demonstration.
- In addition, Brabetech was nominated for the Innovation Top 100 at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) in the “Energy Transition” category in 2024.
TU Eindhoven's Sonja Knols conducted an in-depth interview with Thomas Stroes and Technical Director Bram Bens; you can read the full interview here.
Read more
More information on FLEXpower can be found here: https://ispt.eu/projects/flexpower-accelerating-industrial-electrification-for-a-co2-neutral-future/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/institute-for-sustainable-process-technology/
An article on HeatFlex: https://innovationorigins.com/nl/het-koolstofarm-maken-van-industrieen-draait-om-controle-van-de-warmtevoorziening/ and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tu-pro2tech_we-are-excited-to-present-our-heatflex-initiative-activity-7212440069045915648-_UmX/