Data will be collected on the costs of variable-rate industrial processing, model the cost of various configurations of integrated energy sources plus storage (VRE-ES) and evaluate operating strategies that combine variable-rate production (VRP) with the suitably optimised VRE-ES energy systems, to provide overall lowest-cost decarbonised heavy industrial products.

The approach will centre around the establishment of simplified models of energy use, productive output, and degradation of equipment for key industrial processes, alongside energy and cost modelling of suitable multi-energy VRE-ES systems.

The overall goal of this project is to understand how high energy storage costs can be correctly balanced against the costs of lost production due to variable-rate processing to minimise the final cost of products in different heavy industry sectors.

Technology and methods to manage variable sources of renewable electrical energy within a process

This project will provide analysis results and modelling tools that are focussed on understanding how much variability can be accepted in the VRE-ES energy supply, once it has been correctly balanced with the cost considerations arising from process variability, including lost production and others. Having that understanding will allow green-industry projects to progress at lower cost than would otherwise be possible, by embracing a limited degree of process variability in the interest of significantly reducing VRE and ES requirements.

It is anticipated that correctly balancing these considerations may lower the cost of green products by up to 10% compared to cases where continuous fixed-rate operation is assumed. Additionally, this project lays the foundation for potential operating strategies for industrial processes that minimise the risk of a shutdown due to VRE-ES supply uncertainty and maximise output.

RP2.008 Project Summary – Lost Production and Variability