Energy storage in products as a solution for renewable energy
It’s about the so-called energy storage in the productThat is increasing production in periods of oversupply of electricity from renewable energy sourcesE e.g. on windy or sunny days.
Product storage of energy in cement would allow stabilize the National Power Systembecause it would solve the problem excess energy produced by Renewable Energy Sourcesand at the same time it would ensure production of cement with a lower carbon footprint using green energy – indicated the Association of Cement Producers. SPC estimated that the energy storage potential of the Polish cement sector reaches up to 200-300 MWh per day. This is another proposal to solve the problem of surplus energy from renewable energy sources, after storing it in the form of heat or hydrogen.
Increased energy imbalance from renewable energy sources in Poland
The association pointed out that imbalance (excess energy in the system and, consequently, disconnection of renewable energy producers) is increasing from year to year. In 2022 it was approximately 8.4 GWh, in 2023 – over 74 GWh, and by the end of September 2024 – approximately 692 GWh. “Estimates after the first half of 2024 said that by the end of the year it could be up to 1,000 GWh – this is as much energy as four medium-sized cement plants consume annually,” SPC noted.
By cement has become an energy store “However, support instruments are needed and the potential of cement plants must be taken into account,” sector representatives appealed.
Support for energy-intensive industries in Poland
SPC proposes that support instruments for the energy-intensive industry be indicated as part of public consultations National Energy and Climate Plan. It also drew attention to the fact that Energy Regulatory Office talks to various sectors about flexibility services on the energy marketi.e. the possibility of using the potential of end recipients, including the food industry.
“The energy-intensive industry is currently fighting for survival,” concluded the president of the Electricity and Gas Consumers Forum, Henryk Kaliś, adding that cement plants have a high share of energy costs in production costs.
Energy demand in the cement sector
As SPC pointed out, the cement industry is “a huge consumer of electricity in Poland” – while, for example, PKP consumes 1.3 TWh of energy per year, the demand of the cement industry reaches 2 TWh. “Additionally, energy consumption will increase by the implementation of CCS technology (carbon capture and storage – PAP), which is key to maintaining the competitiveness of cement plants,” it added.
CO2 capture technologies will cause the demand for energy to double – emphasized Andrzej Reclik, member of the SPC management board and president of Heidelberg Materials Polska. CCS is currently a key technology for the cement industry to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but also in this case a legal solution is needed to enable its use in Poland.
CCS as a key technology for reducing CO2 emissions
SPC Chairman Krzysztof Kieres indicated that he was waiting for the schedule developing a CCS strategy and related legislative work, the industry would like to talk about product energy storage.
According to representatives of the cement industry, the idea of storing energy in cement, using excess renewable energy capacity, is “simple”. “When there is excess energy in the system, cement plants will launch additional production to use this surplus. This requires financial outlays related to the preparation of increasing the production capacity of cement plants, as well as legislative changes,” they noted. They indicated that storing energy in cement would enable increasing the grinding capacity of cement plants.
Technical and economic analysis of energy storage in cement
“The Association of Cement Producers has a technical and economic analysis for such a solution, which can be implemented in each cement plant,” SPC informed.
SPC explained that the analysis assumes investment in a new grinding linewhich includes a dosing, grinding and transport system as well as the construction of a new silo. The main element of the investment – the ball mill – has a capacity of 200 t/h. The entire system has an installed capacity of 9 MW and electricity consumption of 90%. installed capacity, which translates into an operating power of 8.1 MW and energy consumption of 64.8 MWh/day (assuming 8 hours of excess energy from renewable energy sources).
Costs of implementing new technologies in the cement industry
“The analyzed investment model costs approximately PLN 243 million when built from scratch. However, if the existing cement plant infrastructure was used, the cost would drop significantly, even to PLN 100 million,” industry representatives calculated.
“On average, we use 100-110 kWh to produce one ton of cement,” said Janusz Miłuch, member of the SPC management board and managing director of CRH in Poland.
The impact of energy prices on cement production costs
According to SPC data, in 2022, when energy prices were high, they accounted for even more than 40%. cost of cement production. Until the beginning of September 2024, average quotations on the Day Ahead Market were approximately EUR 92 in Poland, EUR 70 in Germany, EUR 52 in Spain and EUR 49 in France. The quotations forecast for 2028 are: EUR 107 in Poland, EUR 71 in Germany, EUR 64 in France, EUR 55 in Spain.
“One of the sources of elasticity of demand for electricity may be increasing production in periods of oversupply of electricity (resulting from e.g. high sunlight), i.e. what the industry calls the product warehouse. This is a good direction, but the cement industry itself, with its declared possibility of increasing consumption by 200-300 MWh per day will not solve the problem,” said Marcin Dusyłó, coordinator of the industry transformation project at Forum Energii. He pointed out that currently the scale of non-market reductions, i.e. limiting the operation of renewable sources, may amount to 36,000. MWh, as it happened on May 1. “However, this does not change the fact that using these 200-300 MWh would be better than wasting them,” the expert noted.
Industry flexibility in response to energy oversupply
He pointed out that almost every industry branch that consumes electricity has the opportunity to replan production so as to consume energy when it is windier or brighter. “Such a flexible approach, called energy storage in the product, makes it possible to adjust the plant’s power consumption to what is happening on the market. This allows taking advantage of very low energy pricesthat appear when there is a surplus of production,” he noted, adding that these prices can be negative. “Reducing production costs in this way allows for increased competitiveness,” Dusył said.
The Energy Forum is a think tank composed of experts in the field of energy, heating, industry, energy efficiency and the transformation of cities and economics. The Association of Cement Producers brings together the largest companies in this industry. (PAP)
Author: Anna Bytniewska