Activity : Études pour les adhérents

Description : Emissions from the industrial sector are on a downward trend, due to decarbonisation efforts by manufacturers and high energy prices.

Some of these high-emission industrial processes are difficult to decarbonise because of the lack of compatible low-carbon alternatives, or the lack of availability and competitiveness of these
alternatives

This is particularly the case at high temperatures (above 300°C), for example in the metallurgy, materials and chemicals sectors. Hybridisation may therefore be a suitable solution to reduce emissions from these processes.

This study is limited to hybridisation solutions:

• Between natural gas and electricity or between natural gas and hydrogen.
• Direct, i.e. two energy carriers are used directly and locally in the production process without any major intermediate conversion or storage stages.

The objectives of the study are:

• For the demand-side, to identify near-term opportunities for decarbonisation projects through energy hybridisation.
• For the supply-side, to understand and get a better knowledge of the possible technology combinations and the technology needs of customer sectors.

L’étude est réalisée en deux parties : 

1) The first part of the study provides an overview of electric solutions and the low carbon hydrogen value chain, as well as a description of thermal processes in sectors that are hard-to-abate due to the high temperatures required (above 300°C): materials, metallurgy and chemical

2) Secondly, case studies are carried out to assess the technical and economic benefits of hybridisation. The case studies involved hybridising the processes under consideration by:

• Injecting hydrogen at a compatible rate into the kiln burners,
• Electric heating of the pre-firing zone of the brick kiln,
• Electrification of the dryer using a heat pump to improve heat recovery

Among the results and conclusions of this study:

• All of these hybridisations presented in the second part ensure the sustainability of the processes without compromising the quality of the end products, as the hybridisation does not affect the heat transfer mechanism of the existing process.
• From an economic point of view, the results obtained in France show an increase in the cost of metallurgy and material hybridisation
• In the case of the metallurgical furnace, the scenario of using hydrogen when it is cost competitive allows a small reduction in CO2 emissions, but at a lower cost.
• In the case of the tunnel kiln, hybridisation with electric resistors remains limited and uncompetitive.
• In the case of the rotary dryer, the performance of the heat pump combined with heat recovery means that the project is profitable

Areas of expertise : Integration of alternative energies

Activity : Études pour les adhérents

Description : The French agri-food industry, the country's leading industrial sector in terms of jobs and sales, is facing a major challenge: reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to combat climate change while ensuring food security for a growing world population.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global food system is responsible for between 21% and 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, underlining the importance of decarbonising processing methods in this sector.

For the food industry, federations are currently working on specific roadmaps for each sub-sector. It is in this context that ALLICE and the CTCPA (French agri-food technical centre) have collaborated to carry out a technical study on decarbonisation in the agri-food industry.

This study consists of three main phases:

• Phase 1: Agri-food sub-sectors with energy challenges.

The aim of this first phase is to make an inventory of energy consumption, especially thermal, in the agri-food sector and to identify the processes and operations where energy is a priority.

• Phase 2: Case studies, identification of decarbonisation levers for key processes.
  

The aim of this second phase is to investigate the most relevant decarbonisation levers for the priority energy-related processes and operations identified in Phase 1. These case studies will be complemented by simplified applications at industrial sites.

• Phase 3: Technical contribution to roadmaps for the agri-food sector.
  

The aim of this final phase is to use and extrapolate the results obtained and the levers identified in phase 2 to the entire sectoral scope of the study: processing activities under NCE codes 12 (dairy industry) and 14 (other agri-food industries). From this analysis, the decarbonisation potential of the transformation processes is estimated.

These three parts were carried out independently and are self-contained. For ease of reading, the study is divided into three separate reports, which are reserved for ALLICE members. Each report corresponds to a phase of the study and has its own structure (introduction, summary, conclusion, bibliography, table of tables and figures, table of annexes).

These reports are supplemented by a fourth document: a public executive summary.

Areas of expertise : Decarbonisation at a glance

Activity : Études pour les adhérents

Description : The industry uses various fluids essential for the energy requirements of processes, collectively referred to as utilities. These fluids are used on several production lines, and can be a source of thermal energy (heat, cold), motive energy (compressed air) or consumables (gas).

This study presents an analysis of decarbonisation options for hot utilities, which consist of four main fluid families:

• Steam (the vast majority),
• Hot water,
• Organic fluids
• Superheated water.

These hot utilities account for one third of industrial energy consumption.

As most of these utilities are currently produced using fossil fuels, the associated carbon emissions also represent a third of industrial emissions (i.e. 26 MtCO2, or 6% of French emissions).

The main aim of the study is to characterise and assess the decarbonising potential of the hot utilities in France by providing both qualitative (on energy efficiency actions, the different options available, etc.) and quantitative information.

It makes use of the results of the CEREN study, highlighting the quantified estimate of the energy efficiency potential available both on the production side of utilities (in boiler rooms) and on the distribution side (in utility networks). Decarbonisation solutions are identified and characterised through a study of typical industrial sites, enabling recommendations to be made to the industrial sector.

The study was divided into 3 distinct phases:

• Establishment of an inventory of hot utility consumption.
• Modelling of sectoral case studies and implementation of a decarbonisation scenario by 2050 and comparison with SNBC2 targets (-81% of emissions by 2050).
• Use and extrapolate the results obtained to calculate the decarbonisation potential of industrial hot utilities and the corresponding economic impact (CAPEX, OPEX).

The case studies cover :

• The steam network of a typical pulp and paper production plant (231 GWh - 42 kt of product/year). The processes considered are dryers, heating white water tanks, starch cooking and hot water production.
• The steam network inspired by the yoghurt production plant (17.5 GWh - 110 kt of products/year). The processes considered are pasteurisation, sterilisation, clean-in-place, oven heating and air conditioning.
• The steam network of a fictitious chemical plant, including a set of uses representative of the needs of the sector (9.5 GWh/year). The processes considered are: reactors, stripping, distillation, drying and hot water production.Pour chacun des cas, une démarche de décarbonation a été construire selon diverses étapes explicitées dans le résumé exécutif et détaillées dans l'étude.

Areas of expertise : Decarbonisation at a glance

Activity : Études pour les adhérents

Description : In a context of reducing energy consumption and carbon footprints, system analysis, and particularly the Pinch method, is emerging as an effective solution for optimizing energy use in industrial processes.

This methodology aims to determine the minimum amount of energy required and optimize heat exchanger networks, while minimizing operational and investment costs.

The Pinch method stands out for its strategic approach to improving energy efficiency, contributing to decarbonisation and sustainable resource management.

Implementation of the method comprises 5 steps, the first three of which are detailed in this report:

• Data collection
• Energy diagnosis
• Heat exchanger Network Synthesis
• Performance assessment
• Adjustments

The recommendations put forward in this report are designed to guide players towards optimal implementation, thus fostering significant advances in energy management, process decarbonization and industrial sustainability.

Areas of expertise : Energy Efficiency

Activity : Veille

Description : The ALLICE Alliance has published a new public report on industrial load shedding. Despite significant benefits, such as improving grid reliability and reducing CO2 emissions, industrial load shedding has been slow to develop. For what reasons? How can it be put into practice? What are the benefits of load shedding for industrial users? This new four-part public report provides an overview of industrial load shedding in France. 

definition of industrial load shedding

Load shedding is defined as a means of flexibility that improves the reliability of electricity networks and helps to reduce CO2 emissions.
The electricity network requires a permanent "real-time" balance between electricity production and consumption in order to ensure a high quality of electricity supply and to avoid the risk of blackouts. Load shedding is the process of reducing consumer demand for electricity for a defined period of time in response to an external signal (e.g. a request from the network operator or a price signal). Load shedding is therefore one of the solutions to manage network imbalances.

The content of this public report is based on the complete study "Load shedding industrial processes" reserved for members, and published in 2024. 

A 4-part report to understand the challenges of industrial load shedding

• Industrial load shedding, a more exploitable means of flexibility in France:  The aim of this first part is to give an overview of industrial load shedding in France: objectives, exploitable resources, remuneration levels, etc.

• The load shedding value chain and its operational implementation: The second part presents the actors involved in the load shedding value chain and the process of implementing load shedding at an industrial site.

• Technical and economic barriers that need to be overcome to maximise the potential: This section lists and details 7 barriers to implementing load shedding for industry.

• Methods, tools and recommendations for industrial players in load shedding: In this final section, several situations are presented, along with the associated decision making methods.

Areas of expertise : Integration of alternative energies

Activity : Études pour les adhérents

Description : Fouling of heat exchangers is a major obstacle for manufacturers who are reluctant to invest in energy efficiency projects that include waste heat recovery. This report presents a state-of-the-art review of the solutions available to combat heat exchanger fouling and improve the performance of heat recovery systems.

The report describes the different types of fouling (particulate, corrosion, biological, chemical reaction), and the technical and economic implications of this phenomenon. Solutions exist to overcome these drawbacks, starting with the methodology for selecting the right exchanger for the industrial proces.

The choice of exchanger is the first part of the solution, provided its correct sizing. The second part of the solution requires the use of technologies that complement the exchanger.

The methodology used to gather information on existing solutions is based on bibliography in the field, supplemented by interviews with innovative technology solution providers in the sector.

Areas of expertise : Energy Efficiency

Activity : Études pour les adhérents

Description : This study explores the eco-design of industrial processes, highlighting the different approaches and levels of application of this approach. Its main objective is to detail the current state of available methods for mitigating the impact of industrial sites and their manufacturing processes.

Conducted by the Eco-design cluster, the study draws on the sector's expertise, discussions with manufacturers committed to environmental practices, and consultation of scientific articles.

Eco-design is an approach that aims to reduce the environmental impact of a system (product, service, organisation) throughout its life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to the end of its life.

Although ecodesign has historically been associated with a product-centred approach ("product approach"), it can also be applied to a company as a whole, taking into account all its products, services and processes. This is known as the organisational approach, which takes a holistic view of environmental impacts. This approach can be implemented through the creation of an Environmental Management System (EMS).

The choice of the most appropriate approach must be based on a phase of assessment and identification of the environmental issues relating specifically to the site's industrial activities. Once this assessment phase has been completed, and in order to make it easier to take account of environmental issues, companies can then opt for one of the two approaches.

Areas of expertise : Decarbonisation at a glance

Activity : Études pour les adhérents

Description : The electricity grid requires a constant, real-time balance between production and consumption to ensure good power quality and avoid the risk of blackouts. Load shedding, or demand response, involves reducing the electricity consumption of electricity consumers for a defined period in response to an external signal. 

Industrial load shedding relies on the consumption of industrial sites to provide flexibility to the grid. It is part of a favourable context, driven by the ever-increasing need to balance the grid and the massive electrification of industry, which will increase the pool of available load shedding. Demand response also makes it possible to reduce the carbon intensity of electricity by limiting the need to activate peak production resources.

In 2018, France has set ambitious targets for the development of industrial load shedding: 6.5 GW of load shedding capacity by 2028, with a milestone of 4.5 GW in 2023. However by 2023, the sector is lagging these targets, and the outlook is for a slowdown in the growth of industrial load shedding and an acceleration in the other sectors.

Given the gap between the ambition and the actual development of the industrial load shedding sector, this study aims to detail the operational implementation of demand response by industrial typology, identify the main barriers to uptake and propose solution levers to achieve the reduction targets and trajectories set by the PPE and RTE.

• To achieve these objectives, the study first recalls the industrial load reduction estimated by the ADEME in 2017 and estimates the additional source provided by the electrification of processes, based on a previous ALLICE study.
• The study then details the maturity of each industrial sector based on several comparative criteria: the current use of technical resources, the achievable technical resources and the economic constraints.
• Finally, the study relied on concrete feedback from around fifteen industrial sectors to identify the barriers to the development of load shedding and to propose levers that would allow industry to make its active contribution to balancing the electricity system and thus facilitate its decarbonization.

So far, three groups of industrial sectors have emerged in terms of their maturity and participation in load shedding:

• One group in which load shedding has been fully implemented (e.g. metallurgy),
• Another group in which load shedding has been implemented despite economic and technical obstacles (e.g. chemicals, food processing),
• And a final group of sectors in which load shedding has been implemented only to a limited extent, or not at all (e.g. plastics processing)

In view of these findings, the study makes 7 recommendations aimed at load shedding professionals - both aggregators and network operators - as well as manufacturers, in order to improve the technical and economic conditions of the market and increase the pool of industrial flexibility available in France.

Areas of expertise : Integration of alternative energies

Activity : Veille

Description :

Areas of expertise : Energy Efficiency

Activity : Veille

Description :

Areas of expertise : Business models and financing