Emissions from the industrial sector are on a downward trend, as a result of decarbonisation efforts by manufacturers on the one hand, and high energy prices on the other.

Among industrial processes that are high emitters, some are difficult to decarbonise due to the lack of low-carbon alternatives compatible with these processes, or because such alternatives are not widely available or competitive.

This is particularly the case for high temperatures (above 300°C), for example in the metallurgy, materials and chemical industries. Hybridisation can therefore be a suitable solution for reducing emissions from these processes.

This study is limited to hybridisation solutions:

• Between natural gas and electricity, or between natural gas and hydrogen.
• Direct, meaning that two energy sources are used immediately and locally in the production process, without involving any significant intermediate stages of conversion or storage.

The objectives of the study are as follows:

• For industrial operators and specifiers, to identify short-term opportunities for decarbonisation projects through energy hybridisation.
• For solution providers and specifiers, to understand and gain a better grasp of possible combinations of technologies and the technological needs of client sectors.

The study is divided into two parts: 

1) The first part of the study provides an overview of electrical solutions and the low-carbon hydrogen value chain, as well as a description of the thermal processes used in sectors that are difficult to decarbonise due to the high temperatures required (in excess of 300°C): the materials, metallurgy and chemical industries.

2) In a second stage, case studies were carried out to assess the technical and economic benefits of hybridisation. The case studies involved hybridising the processes under consideration by:

• The injection of hydrogen at a rate suitable for the smelting furnace burners,
• Electric heating of the pre-firing zone of the brick and tile kiln,
• Electrification of the dryer using a heat pump to improve heat recovery.

Among the findings of this study are:

• The hybridisation methods presented in the second part of the report all ensure the long-term viability of the processes without compromising the quality of the end products; hybridisation acts as an energy supplement, without, however, affecting the heat transfer mechanism of the existing process.
• From an economic perspective, the results for the French market show an increase in costs for projects involving both metallurgy and materials.
• In the case of metallurgical smelting furnaces, the scenario of using hydrogen when its cost is competitive results in a modest reduction in CO₂ emissions, but at a lower cost.
• In the case of tunnel kilns, hybridisation using electric heating elements remains limited and uncompetitive.
• As regards the rotary dryer, the heat pump’s performance, combined with heat recovery, ensures that the project is cost-effective.

Industry uses various fluids that are essential to its processes, collectively referred to as ‘utilities’. These fluids are used across several production lines and may serve as a source of thermal energy (heat, cold), motive power (compressed air) or consumables (gas).

This study presents an analysis of decarbonisation options for hot water systems, comprising four main categories of fluids:

• Steam (which accounts for the vast majority),
• Hot water,
• Body fluids
• Superheated water.

These process heat applications account for a third of industrial energy consumption.

As the majority of their production currently relies on fossil fuels, the associated carbon emissions also account for a third of industrial emissions (i.e. 26 MtCO₂, or 6 per cent of France’s emissions).

The main objective of the study is to characterise and assess the potential for decarbonising heat utilities in France by providing both qualitative (on energy efficiency measures, the various options available, etc.) and quantitative data.

It draws on the findings of the CEREN study, highlighting the quantified estimate of the energy efficiency potential available both in the utility generation sector (in boiler houses) and in the distribution sector (in utility networks). Decarbonisation solutions are identified and characterised through the analysis of typical industrial sites, enabling recommendations to be drawn up for the industrial sector.

The study was divided into three distinct main phases:

• Carry out a survey of hot water consumption.
• Model sector-specific case studies and implement a decarbonisation scenario for 2050, comparing them with the targets of the SNBC2 (-81 per cent emissions by 2050).
• Use and extrapolate the results obtained to calculate the decarbonisation potential of industrial heat utilities and the corresponding economic impact (CAPEX, OPEX).

This executive summary provides an overview of existing energy efficiency measures relating to the generation and decarbonisation of heat utilities, and also outlines the case studies covered in the full report:

• The steam system in a typical paper and board production plant
• The steam network inspired by the yoghurt factory
• The steam network of a fictional chemical plant

For each case, a decarbonisation strategy was developed in accordance with a series of steps outlined in the executive summary and set out in detail in the study.

The electricity grid requires constant, ‘real-time’ balancing between electricity generation and consumption in order to ensure a high-quality electricity supply and avoid the risk of blackouts.
Load shedding involves reducing consumers’ electricity demand for a defined period in response to an external signal.

Industrial demand response relies on consumption at industrial sites to provide flexibility to the electricity grid. It is taking place against a favourable backdrop driven by the increasingly significant need to balance the electricity grid and the widespread electrification of industry, which will increase the available potential for demand response. Demand response also helps to reduce the carbon content of electricity by limiting the need to activate peak generation capacity.

As early as 2018, France set itself ambitious targets for the development of demand response: 6.5 GW of contracted capacity by 2028, with an interim target of 4.5 GW in 2023 (contributions from the industrial, residential and commercial sectors). However, by 2023, the sector had not met these targets (3.9 GW by the end of 2022).

Given the gap between ambition and the actual development of the demand response sector, this study aims to provide a detailed overview of the operational implementation of demand response by type of industrial facility, to identify the main barriers to adoption, and to propose measures to achieve the demand response targets and trajectories set by the PPE and RTE.

• In order to meet these objectives, the study first sets out the industrial demand response potential estimated by ADEME in 2017 and estimates the additional potential resulting from the electrification of industrial processes, based on a previous ALLICE study.
• The study then sets out the maturity of each industrial sector in detail, based on several comparative criteria: current exploitation of the technical reserves, recoverable technical reserves and economic constraints.
• Finally, thethe study drew on concrete feedback from around fifteen industrial companies to identify the barriers to the development of demand response and to propose measures enabling industry to make an active contribution to balancing the electricity grid and thereby facilitate its decarbonisation.

To date, three groups of industrial sectors have emerged in terms of their maturity and their involvement in demand response:

• A first group for which the reduction is fully captured (e.g. the metal industry),
• A second group for which data erasure is being implemented despite economic and technical constraints (e.g. the chemical and agri-food sectors)
• A final group comprising sectors that have implemented energy-saving measures to a limited extent, if at all (e.g. plastics manufacturing).

The study also sets out seven recommendations for demand response professionals — including aggregators and electricity system operators — as well as industrial operators, with a view to improving the technical and economic conditions of the market and increasing the pool of industrial flexibility available in France.

The French agri-food industry (IAA), the country’s leading industrial sector in terms of employment and turnover, faces a major challenge: reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to combat climate change whilst ensuring food security for a growing global population.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global food system is responsible for between 21 per cent and 37 per cent of global GHG emissions, highlighting the importance of decarbonising processing operations in this sector.

In the agri-food sector, trade associations and trade unions are currently working on roadmaps specific to each sub-sector. It is against this backdrop that ALLICE and the CTCPA have joined forces to carry out a technical study on the decarbonisation of the agri-food industry.

The aim of this study is to support the various roadmaps currently being drafted or already drawn up by the sector’s federations and trade unions, by providing technical details on current and emerging alternatives for decarbonising processing methods in the agri-food industry.

It consists of three main stages:

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

The aim of this phase is to carry out a review of energy consumption – particularly thermal energy consumption – in the agri-food sector, and thereby identify the processes and operations where energy efficiency is a priority.

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

The aim of this second phase is to examine the most relevant decarbonisation measures for the processes and operations with priority energy challenges, as identified in phase 1. These case studies will be supplemented by simplified applications at industrial sites.

• Phase 3: Technical input into the agri-food sector’s roadmaps.

The aim of this final phase is to analyse 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 NCE 14 (other agri-food industries). Based on this analysis, the decarbonisation potential of the processing operations is estimated.

These three parts were carried out independently of one another and are self-contained. To make them easier to read, this study has been divided into three separate reports, available exclusively to ALLICE members. Each report corresponds to a phase of the study and has its own structure (introduction, summary, conclusion, bibliography, list of tables and figures, list of appendices).

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

This study, which focuses on the potential for integrating solar thermal energy into industrial processes, aims to provide an initial overview of the technical and economic feasibility of these solutions.

Globally, heat consumption in industry accounts for nearly 24 per cent of final energy consumption, across all uses and all energy sources. This corresponds to nearly 24,000 TWh. By distinguishing between different temperature levels, it is possible to identify solar thermal technologies that could meet part of this energy demand.

The study consists of four parts: 

• The first part is devoted to a review of the state of the art in solar thermal technologies (collectors, storage and operating principles) that can be used to supply heat for industrial processes: fixed or tracking flat-plate collectors, vacuum tube collectors, vacuum flat-plate collectors and concentrating collectors are briefly described, with information on their ability to supply heat at varying temperatures. Thermal storage technologies, which are rarely separate from solar collectors, are also discussed.
• The second part discusses the methodology required to integrate solar heat.
• Part Three is devoted to economic aspects.
• Finally, four detailed case studies provide an insight into solar thermal installations integrated into industrial processes. They illustrate the variety of solutions that can be implemented to meet different objectives.

In summary, this study highlighted four conclusions: 

• The need to carry out detailed energy analyses to facilitate the integration of solar thermal systems, and to use the most suitable technology,
• The variety of solutions available to meet a large proportion of industry’s low- and medium-temperature (up to 400°C) heating requirements, as well as their level of maturity,
• The cost-competitiveness of solar heating compared with conventional solutions and, above all, its resilience to changes in the energy market, given its very low running costs,
• An environmental impact 10 to 20 times lower than that of fossil-based natural gas.

Digital technology offers numerous opportunities to improve industrial competitiveness, particularly in terms of energy efficiency. In this context, the ALLICE study on the benefits of Big Data Analytics has highlighted the advantages that industrial maintenance services can derive from it, particularly through predictive maintenance.

By monitoring signs of wear and tear, predictive maintenance helps to optimise the operation of industrial facilities and, as a result, improve their energy efficiency.

It is one of the preventive maintenance activities available to ensure the operational availability of equipment, alongside improvement maintenance, systematic preventive maintenance and condition-based preventive maintenance.

This review of the current state of the art consists of three parts:

• Maintenance objectives
• Maintenance terminology
• Implementation of predictive maintenance

Energy prices have risen significantly since the end of 2021. Forecasts from various organisations, drawn up before the current geopolitical crisis, also predict a long-term upward trend for natural gas, coal and oil. Industry is one of the economic sectors most exposed to this rise in energy prices. The impacts vary from one manufacturer to another and depend on their energy mix, energy consumption levels and the energy intensity of the raw materials used.

This study therefore presents a comparison of production costs between 2020 and 2030 for five industrial sectors, based on different scenarios for energy price trends. Several measures are currently available to mitigate these effects.

This report examined the following six categories of solutions: 

• Flexibility solutions,
• Energy efficiency measures,
• PPA/GPA contracts,
• Self-consumption, 
• Local energy communities
• Green energy supply contracts.

A number of criteria were taken into account in order to assess their relevance.

To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, CO₂ capture and utilisation solutions will be necessary. This study focuses in particular on the potential for creating CCU hubs – structures bringing together industrial companies that emit and consume CO₂ – in order to improve the cost-effectiveness of the solutions deployed.

The study highlighted several findings: 

• The analysis shows that CCU remains a limited tool for decarbonisation
• The study demonstrated the relevance of CCU hubs in meeting the need to reduce residual CO₂ emissions, even though these solutions also present technical, economic and environmental challenges
• The cartographic analysis has identified a wide variety of CCU hub profiles
• As regards applications, the hubs whose development will be prioritised in the short term will be those focused on ‘mineralisation’; hubs specialising in ‘e-fuels’ and organic synthesis will develop over the longer term.
• As the hub-based approach entails specific risks, it is necessary to identify suitable business models that enable these risks to be managed. 

It consists of three parts: an overview of the technologies available for the CCU, a mapping of emissions from French industrial firms, and a definition of the possible options for the development of these structures.

Companies are seeking to reduce their environmental impact, in particular by cutting their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This drive is underpinned in particular by the targets set by France as part of the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC), which aims for an 81 per cent reduction in GHG emissions from the industrial sector. Among the key areas for action is work on manufacturing processes.

This study focuses on the decarbonisation of drying and firing processes, for which three types of solution are examined:

• energy efficiency,
• electrification,
• renewable and recovered energy.

The aim of the study is to examine the application of these various decarbonisation solutions across three case studies and to compare the results up to 2050 from an energy, economic and environmental perspective.

The application cases studied are the drying and firing of tiles, the drying and curing of a powder coating line, and the roasting of barley malt.

This study shows that all of the solutions enable significant reductions in GHG emissions. To achieve further reductions in GHG emissions associated with certain processes or in specific cases, CCUS solutions (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) may be necessary.

The industrial sector accounts for approximately 20 per cent of France’s energy consumption. The majority of this energy – 435 TWh according to INSEE in 2018 – is converted into heat, with massive losses occurring during its use. Consequently, the issue of waste heat – as well as being central to decarbonisation efforts – is also proving to be a real driver of industrial competitiveness, against a backdrop of structurally rising energy prices.

To carry out this study, the approach adopted was to draw on feedback from the field in order to engage as closely as possible with those who operate the facilities, design them and make operational decisions regarding the suitability of projects. As such, around fifteen interviews were conducted with industrialists, manufacturers, engineering consultancies and trade unions.

This report is divided into three parts:

• The first part of this report summarises the numerous publications that have addressed the subject of waste heat since 2017,
• The second part presents feedback on waste heat recovery projects identified during the study, some of which were the subject of a site visit.
• Finally, the last section sets out the recommendations drawn from the interviews, site visits and the authors’ experience, as well as the reflections and discussions that took place during the course of this project.

Finally, this study sets out a number of recommendations centred on three main areas, a summary of which is presented in the executive summary.