How much electricity would we need for green steel?28 Mar 2024 11:16
Troajan might like this:
https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/green-steel-goodall
Going to need loads of electricity... Claude's summary:
'Here is a summary of the document in less than 750 words:
The article discusses the prospect of producing "green steel" using renewable electricity and green hydrogen instead of coal. It is based on analysis from Chris Goodall's new book "Possible: Ways to Net Zero" which examines pathways to decarbonize difficult sectors like steel, cement, aviation, and shipping.
Steel production currently accounts for around 8% of global emissions. Most steel is made from blast furnaces using coal/coke to strip oxygen from iron ore. An alternative is to use hydrogen for this direct reduction process instead of coal, producing steam instead of CO2 emissions. Another option is directly electrifying the process, which several companies are working on.
Focusing on the hydrogen route, Chris Goodall estimates it takes around 4 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity to produce 1 tonne of green steel this way, more efficient than the 6 MWh per tonne using coal. With global steel production around 1.3 billion tonnes per year from blast furnaces, going fully green would require around 7,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually - about 25% of current global electricity generation.
This electricity would need to come from nuclear or renewables to be low-carbon. In terms of capital costs, one hydrogen steel plant aims to produce 5 million tonnes per year at a cost of €5 billion, or €1 billion per million tonnes of annual capacity. Scaling that up to 1.3 billion tonnes globally would require around €1.3 trillion in new infrastructure.
The main barrier is likely to be access to cheap renewable electricity, as green steel is only viable with very low energy costs compared to fossil fuels. Current steelmakers tend to be located near cheap coal sources, not areas with abundant low-cost clean power. China producing half the world's steel will be crucial.
While significant challenges remain, the analysis suggests decarbonizing steel is technically feasible if the green hydrogen and renewable electricity costs can keep falling. Cheap, stable renewable energy could make green steel increasingly economically viable over volatile fossil fuel prices.'
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