Increasing Energy Resilience and Sustainability with Bivalent and Hybrid Facilities

Abstract

Facilities with the ability to change the energy carrier dynamically can contribute to a sustainable and resilient corporate development and at the same time further support the progress of the energy transition. Climate change and the associated measures introduced by policymakers to slow down the pace of change or reduce the impact on the climate have significant implications for manufacturing companies. Against the backdrop of pressure to reduce CO2-emissions, the need for energy flexibility and electrification of industry, this paper describes how industrial companies with manufacturing facilities with a dynamic energy transition can meet these challenges. To quantify the impact of a bivalent design on resilience enhancement and emission reduction potential, the balance limits were logically set, the direct CO2-emissions were analyzed in comparison to monovalent systems, and the impact of a power outage or gas interruption on a bivalent crucible furnace was worked out. It has been shown that dynamic energy switching can both increase energy resilience and reduce CO2-emissions.