POWER & GENERATORS I


n order to limit the devastating effects of global warming and climate change, the UK has legally committed to reaching net zero by 2050, meaning that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be equal to the emissions removed from the atmosphere. Industry is responsible for 13.7 per cent of GHG emissions in the UK and, whilst strides have been made to reduce emissions, with 50 per cent of industrial energy consumption still provided by fossil fuels, there’s a long way to go. The government’s Review of Energy Policy 2024 acknowledges that a comprehensive industrial strategy needs to be developed, with a strong focus on decarbonisation.


THE DECARBONISATION PILLARS


So how do we decarbonise industry? There are six pillars at the heart of decarbonisation:


Circular economy Renewables


Grid infrastructure Energy efficiency Sustainable mobility Energy communities


To decarbonise across all these pillars, we have to move from fossil fuels to electric primarily, with biofuel and hydrogen forming part of the mix. We also need to invest in carbon capture, utilisation, and storage, especially for mitigating emissions in sectors with limited alternatives (e.g. cement production), and we need to digitise our processes. The latter will enable us to enhance data processing for efficiency gains, faster problem-solving, predictive maintenance, and even virtual testing of solutions.


ENERGY TRANSITION SOLUTIONS FOR INDUSTRY As a major international supplier of boiler rooms and associated equipment, operating in more than 13 countries, Babcock Wanson Group has become a major player when it comes to energy transition, offering increasingly carbon-free heat production solutions for industry. The groups’s ambition is to enable customers to reduce their fossil fuel consumption and achieve their targets for reducing their environmental footprint. We have identified four major energy transition opportunities available now for industry to consider in its drive to improved sustainability:


1. Decarbonisation


Alternative solutions to the use of fossil fuels in steam and hot water production are readily available. Electrification is by far the most popular and practical means of decarbonising. In light industry, heat pumps, electric resistance heaters and electrode boilers offer an efficient means for both direct and indirect heating. Babcock Wanson has developed


38 SUMMER 2025 | INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE


INDUSTRIAL PROCESS HEATING


FOUR OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY


By Etienne Fourie, technical sales manager, Babcock Wanson


a full range of energy-efficient low and high voltage electric boilers that provide precise temperature control. In hard to abate sectors, due to the high temperature heat requirements and the necessity to adapt heating technologies to cater to specific applications, solutions are sadly not as straightforward. However, across all industries, electricity costs and infrastructure are the main stumbling blocks in achieving electrification. Hybrid solutions that allow customers to use the best available energy source at any given time could be one way forward here.


Combustion solutions based on renewable energy such as hydrogen, biogas and oxycombustion are also on the table for consideration. Hydrogen may be necessary as part of the decarbonisation pathway for hard to abate industries, but the cost to transition from


natural gas to hydrogen is considerable, and it has an increased tendency to form harmful NOx gases. Biofuels, on the other hand, are largely compatible with existing infrastructure but there is limited scope for increasing the scale of biomass production.


2. Energy performance


Where low carbon solutions are not a practical option, focus on maximising the energy performance of existing boilers. There are several ways this can be achieved. Firstly, ensure you have a modern energy efficient burner that is seamlessly matched with the heated vessel. Babcock Wanson’s Modulo+ gas burners, for example, are designed with digital micro-modulation control and specially developed combustion head for a high turndown of 12:1 for improved efficiency and lower


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