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GREG MORRIS, EDITOR
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Facing up to some huge challenges
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The last two years has seen some colossal news stories impact the glass industry. Starting with the Covid-19 pandemic, the past 24 months has been a rollercoaster journey for those involved in the sector. From the apocalyptical start of the pandemic and the closure of the hospitality sector, to glass’s status as an essential industry and the gradual recovery in demand for glass from end consumers, there has never been a dull moment. Its latest headwind lies in the challenge of rising energy costs, exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine. Not only has this increased energy costs but added to the shortfall in raw materials for the sector. All the while, the industry has also faced up to the ongoing challenge of sustainability and innnovation in order to decarbonise. The twin pillars of decarbonisation and the energy crisis are linked: why depend on overseas energy from an unpredictable source when it is possible to channel ‘green’ energy from closer to home? Thanks to innovation and inspiration, more glass manufacturers are moving forward. A glimpse of our news pages this month reveals agreements between a number of companies intensifying their efforts to go green. While energy prices will continue to rise across the supply chain in the short term, the effort to decarbonise must remain a long-standing priority.
AGC and E.ON sign first green PPA in France
AGC and E.ON signed the first green Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in France to improve energy efficiency and decarbonisation. The joint project will tackle waste heat recovery and production of green power at AGC‘s float glass plant in Seingbouse, France. The project will be developed, implemented, financed and operated by E.ON and supported by the French Government as part of the ‘France Relance’ plan set up by ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency). Both parties have agreed to structure the project as PPA where E.ON will produce and sell electricity to AGC on a long-term basis at fixed price. This will allow AGC’s site to become largely independent
of volatile energy markets. At AGC’s Seingbouse site, heat will be recovered to generate CO2-neutral electricity by implementing an innovative Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) plant with a capacity of 1.3 megawatts (MW). To further decarbonise, E.ON is also installing a photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of 2.7 MW on the factory’s premises. It will generate renewable electricity on a total of 27 000 m2. By combining the photovoltaic panels with the ORC power plant, E.ON will annually provide AGC with around 10 gigawatt hours (GWh) of decarbonised electricity from 2023 onwards. This electricity is fully produced and consumed on AGC’s site and covers a large
part of the electricity needs. On this basis, around 595 tons of CO2 are annually avoided. Marc Bartheld, Plant Manager AGC Seingbouse, said: “Our plant is one of AGC’s larger production lines for the building sector with a yearly production of 240,000 tons of float glass. Our goal is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 30% and our energy consumption by 20% by 2030. “To achieve this, we are constantly working to improve the environmental performance of our production sites. “The project in Seingbouse here in France is a perfect example of how E.ON can help us to not only achieve our sustainability goals, but also to secure the site’s long-term competitiveness.”
2 Glass International April 2022
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