KRAFTBLOCK’s Post

Is there a 'significant' shift away from coal in the steel industry? The new report from Global Energy Monitor suggests that with newly announced electric steelmaking projects, the steel industry could be on the IEA's proposed path to net-zero for electric arc furnaces. These furnaces use electricity to recycle scrap steel instead of using iron ore and coke to produce primary pig iron to make steel, which has much higher emissions. But a closer look reveals some big question marks. Although 93% of new steelmaking projects announced this year are electric arc furnaces, the report also notes that few have moved into construction. India, for example, plans to triple its production capacity, mostly with fossil technology. It will take decades for green steel to overtake fossil steel with the blast furnaces currently planned. For both electric arc furnaces and blast furnaces routes, Kraftblock can improve economics and emissions. In the traditional route, efficiency and energy reduction are critical because energy is usually fossil. Some parts of steel mills can be electrified, and the many waste heat sources on the fossil route can replace natural gas for process heat. Kraftblock has found dozens of applications in integrated steel plants to reduce energy and emissions with electrification and waste heat recovery.. Electric Arc Furnaces have valuable high temperature waste heat that can be transferred with our high temperature storage to preheat the scrap used in EAFs. This improves energy efficiency. Read more about the steel furnace report here: https://lnkd.in/eX7gHHac. #steel #enery #industry #energystorage #efficiency #emissions

The new EU methane regulation has entered into force, trying to tackle the second most significant greenhouse gas. It will first and foremost change regulation int he energy sector. Here, a short overview of important changes: - Oil, gas and coal production sites have new documentation obligations. - From May 2025, leakages over a threshold of 7 000ppm must be repaired immediately (5 days to start) after detection and need to be repaired 30 days after detection. - From February 2026, venting and flaring will be prohibited. - From May 2025, methane emissions of fuel that is imported must be monitored. - From 2030, limits on methane emissions from imported fuel will apply. The EU is finally addressing the pressing issue of methane emissions with the duty to repair leakages. Limits on imported fuel will also affect the more significant emitters like the USA, Russia, and Iran. It is unclear how truthful documentation, leakage repair, venting, and flare stops in non-EU countries will be enforced. There is little grasp of the EU to enforce this. In the EU, energy-related methane emissions come predominantly from coal mines like in Poland, which has the most energy-related methane emissions in the EU. The emissions from Romania which are comparable to those of Germany source in the oil and gas production of the country. Other significant emitter in the EU are Bulgaria and Italy. Statistic sources: @EEA (https://lnkd.in/ecemCN2) and International Energy Agency (2023), Methane Tracker Database, IEA, Paris. License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0. #methane #emissions #EU #regulation #climatechange

McKinsey & Company has confirmed our own anaylsis: the world has almost everything we need for the electrification of industrial heat! In more and more countries it is an accessible, feasible, and increasingly cost-effective option for replacing fossil fuels across multiple sectors, including food & beverage, steel & metals, and chemicals. Industrial heat accounts for one-fifth of global energy demand. McKinsey & Company's analysis shows that commercially available technologies and customized design solutions are rapidly advancing to meet diverse industrial heat needs, and that electrification is feasible for many low- and medium-temperature heat processes up to 600°C under certain conditions. When you enable flexibility and use the negative or cheaper hours of electricity to shift that energy to the rest of your production, the cost savings are multiplied. Some technologies, such as KRAFTBLOCK's Power-to-heat with thermal storage, can reach even higher temperatures, up to 1300°C, making them versatile for various industrial applications and allowing companies to realize the full cost and sustainability benefits of the transition to renewables. Electrification of heat also has an economic advantage due to the decreasing cost of renewable energy generation. Electricity prices from renewable sources are becoming increasingly competitive and less volatile compared to gas prices. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e6z2b9bR #electrification #industry #renewables #energystorage #thermalstorage #energy

When our CEO Martin Schichtel is asked what is the most immediate solution in the fight against climate change, he always says one thing first: Reduce methane emissions. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year time horizon. These emissions are currently preventing us from having the time to implement the energy transition and other measures to avoid tipping points. Most methane emissions come from the agricultural sector at 142 megatons, with livestock being the largest contributor. Fossil fuel extraction accounts for 118 Mt (oil 49 Mt, gas 29 Mt, coal 40 Mt), and waste 71 Mt. The largest and fastest abatement potential is in the energy sector with 80 Mt (numbers according to International Energy Agency (IEA)) This is also due to technical and economic simplicity: Often, simple measures such as leak detection and maintenance prevent leaks and pay for themselves quickly through reduced energy losses at natural gas sites. For other sites, even if infrastructure cannot be built to use the gas, a burner can be installed to flare the gas instead of venting it. This energy can even reduce costs by replacing other sources of on-site energy needs (e.g., Kraftblock to heat heavy oil to proper viscosity). There is a Global Methane Pledge, installed at COP 26, unfortunately not signed by big emitting states like Venezuela, Iran, Russia, China and Algeria. Although China has made its own plan, it is, like the US target, far beyond the necessary reduction. #methane #emissions #climatecrisis #energy

🇦🇺🦘We are currently going down under! We've been invited to join the EnergyLab Scaleup Program, an initiative dedicated to bringing solutions to the Australian energy landscape. With a large industry such as mining, Australia needs a big decarbonization effort. Currently, coal produced in the country accounts for a large share of electricity generation and total energy consumption. Australia has set an ambitious target of 82% renewable electricity by 2030. Now, critics have calculated that at the current rate, it will fall 20 percentage points short. Still, 60% renewables, much of it from PV, means high volatility and curtailment. Kraftblock can avoid grid costs and use the energy to decarbonize the industry. We are off to a great start and have 3 months left in the program - very exciting to dive into the unique situation Down Under! #energy #energystorage #thermalenergystorage #australia #industry

😍 Take a look at this power-to-heat element, ready to go for one of our projects. This is a crucial part of the Kraftblock Net-Zero Heat System, converting electricity into heat at high temperatures with resistance heaters. Air takes the heat from the resistance heater then into the Kraftblock storage. We use suppliers with decade long experience so that we can meet our highest technological and reliability standards. #electrification #energystorage #thermalenergy