How can energy intensity and CO2 emission be reduced efficiently?

Expert: Przemyslaw Kurylas, M.Sc., Chief Operating Officer, DB Energy

Energy efficiency, carbon neutrality, transformation and renewable energy have been on the rise in recent years. Especially in the context of legislative changes and new obligations imposed on companies.

For the European Union, the principle of ‘energy efficiency first’ is a strategic priority. All measures around it are recognised as a means of ensuring a sustainable and more secure energy supply, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and spending on energy imports. In addition, they are a mean of promoting our continent’s competitiveness. The solutions we at DB Energy implement in the companies we work with fit into this strategy.

From auditing to saving €20 million a year

This one sentence is a summary of the journey we have been on together with Schumacher Packaking at the Myszków plant. The thorough modernisation of the object’s combined heat and power (CHP) plant and associated facilities has resulted in

• more efficient operation of the boilers – an increase in efficiency of 30 per cent
• final energy savings of 6,200 toe (tons of oil equivalent)
• acquisition of white certificates worth PLN 11.5 million
• a reduction in the energy demand for fuel by 72 GWh – about 300 wagons of coal

The payback period for the PLN 43.4 million investment is only 1.5 years.

Reduction of CO2 emissions, which would allow carbonation of 6 billion beers

At the Soufflet Agro Poland malting plant, we proposed the modernisation of a malt drying plant with the recovery of 2.2 MW of waste heat and the generation of heat in cogeneration units. This was in response to the need to reduce CO2 emissions. The investment also included the construction of a new 4.2 MW cooling source. The total cost was PLN 29 million and was fully financed by us under the ESCO model. The Soufflet Argo Polska malting plant boasts an annual CO2 reduction of 9543 tonnes, which represents 40% of the company’s total emissions and would allow the carbonation of almost 6 billion beers.

How do you go from 7% to 60%?

By combining the strengths of your own energy team with the experience and expertise of DB Energy’s engineers. For one chemical company, the planned reduction in energy intensity was between 7 and 8%. Together we developed a CO2 reduction map to meet the company’s strategic objectives. We ensured cost effectiveness at every stage of implementation by identifying opportunities to reduce energy consumption and the investment required. In response to these assumptions, we developed the idea of incinerating saline and non-saline waste in a single incinerator to maximise heat recovery. In this way, one plant handles all the processes, while the other remains as a back-up, activated for the duration of maintenance work on the first.

The reduction in CO2 emissions is 2172 tonnes, roughly the amount emitted by a car driving around the world 400 times. The reduction in emissions resulted in an AENA subsidy of €1.4 million, reducing the payback period from 5.5 to 2.5 years.

Last Updated on July 10, 2024 by Anastazja Lach