Study 11: The potential for integrating carbon-free gases into industry

Accounting for 18 per cent of national CO₂eq emissions, industry is one of the main sectors responsible for GHG emissions and faces significant decarbonisation challenges. According to the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC), this sector must reduce its emissions by 35 per cent by 2030 compared with 2015, and by 81 per cent by 2050. To achieve these targets, it is essential to make the industrial energy mix greener, particularly its thermal processes. Thermal energy use in industry currently accounts for 258 TWh of annual consumption, of which 240 TWh is non-electric consumption, and is mainly divided between furnaces (61 per cent) and drying processes (27 per cent).

One promising solution for decarbonising these processes lies in the use of carbon-free gases, which serve as alternative energy carriers to fossil fuels.

This study reports on initial feedback and technologies currently under development for the use of biogas, biomethane, hydrogen, syngas, methane from power-to-gas and pyrogasification in industrial thermal processes. The potential for these low-carbon gases to penetrate the industrial sector has been analysed using a range of criteria: reduction in carbon footprint, availability, stability, economic competitiveness, ease of technical integration, trends in energy and CO₂ prices, and so on. Specific sections focus on particular sectors and applications.

Co-funded by ADEME, this study is the subject of a detailed public summary, which can be found below under ‘Summary’.