• • • ENERGY EFFICIENCY • • • A Sustainability Accelerator
enabling the global energy transition The world is currently undergoing a paradigm shift in terms of energy generation and demand
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ntil just a few years ago, the end consumer was only concerned with meeting his basic energy needs, the expansion of a new awareness. This requires operators and authorities to reduce the environmental impact of the entire process, which together with increasingly demanding regulations worldwide, has led to a change in the way that energy is generated and consumed. This change, however, has not been accompanied by a reduction in consumption, but rather the opposite. Energy demand continues to increase, sometimes causing significant stress on the grid and the need to seek new sustainable sources to meet the requirements of end consumers. As an example, the USA alone will be responsible for an energy demand of more than 4.112 bn kWh in 2024, which will increase to 4.123 bn kWh next year. France, for example, has been revitalising its nuclear commitment with the plan of commissioning up to fourteen new plants in the future, in a context in which nuclear energy is currently responsible for approximately 70 per cent of the country’s total energy generation. The extension of the Penly Nuclear Power Plant is an example as it is relying on an electric variant of the Sarens SGC-250 crane, the biggest terrestrial model in the World, for the construction of its two new reactors starting in 2028.
Offshore wind as an alternative
for sustainable energy Although the nuclear alternative is safe and clean, many countries prefer to use offshore wind energy in their energy mix. An alternative that is evolving positively, and which viability and usefulness is already beyond any doubt. Thus, according to a Bloomberg study, 2024 is expected to end with a production of 18.3GW of offshore wind energy, compared to the 10.7GW reached in 2023.
However, offshore wind energy poses significant challenges. In order for each wind turbine to be installed, it is necessary to transport, store and then take parts, such as the monopiles and jacket foundations which can sometimes exceed a weight of 2,000 tons, to their final location miles away from the coast. Sarens has specialised over the last few years in offering complete solutions, ranging from the marshalling of the monopiles to the loading and unloading of materials on transport barges.
USA is betting strongly on offshore wind in the last years, with up to 192 projects in the study phase and two facilities already in operation, still far from the 37.8GW installed in China or the 14GW in the UK. One of the most ambitious wind projects is being developed off the coast of New York. Empire Wind 1, located between 15 and 30
miles south of Long Island, will have more than 130 turbines that will generate 2.1 GW of renewable energy per year, enough to power a million New York homes. For this project, Sarens will work together with Vestas at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, providing its SGC-140 ring crane, also known as Big Benny XL, and its load capacity of up to 3,200 tons. This means the Big Benny XL will be in the Big Apple.
In addition to these alternatives, we should bear in mind the major effort being made in Europe to optimise the operation of existing thermal power plants to reduce their environmental impact, phasing out coal fired power plants. In Belgium, for example, renovation work is underway at plants such as Les Awirs in Flémalle, which will be responsible for powering one million homes. Or the Seraing combined cycle plant in Liege, the second phase of which will come on line in 2025.
As we can see, this new energy paradigm is demanding very high standards in the installation of new alternatives to favour the transition to cleaner energy. At Sarens we can only reaffirm our commitment to the energy sector for the correct exploitation of these new clean sources while reducing the environmental footprint in the process.
24 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • JULY/AUGUST 2024
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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