An environmental and business-orientated imperative
The drive for carbon neutrality by 2050 under the 2015 Paris Agreement has put pressure on industry, globally, to accelerate and redouble its efforts to dramatically reduce its carbon footprint.
With heat generation accounting for around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the decarbonisation of heating systems is a crucial factor in the race to reach this goal. However, in many sectors such as the food or chemical industries, where cooling and heating are critical, this argument is not easily won. Here, innovative, customised alternatives are needed to support the transition to low-carbon heating systems not only as an environmental imperative, but also as a strategic business decision for sustainable growth.
Transitioning to renewable energies
Renewable energy sources such as geothermal, solar thermal and biomass are crucial to replace fossil fuels. Equans, a global leader in energy services, is at the forefront of this transition, offering a range of innovative low-carbon heating and cooling alternatives, such as e-boilers, waste/biomass boilers, heat exchangers and induction processes, tailored to different industries. These solutions are designed for a wide temperature range and are therefore suitable for industries such as food and beverage, chemicals, paper and steel.
For the DSM Nutritional Production Facility in Sisseln, Switzerland, Equans replaced an outdated gas boiler with a wood-fuelled CHP system, showcasing the benefits of switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy. This innovative approach was a first in Switzerland and is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 50,000 tonnes per year.
Innocent Drinks had set itself the goal of building an entirely carbon-neutral factory in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, by 2025. Equans was commissioned to design a comprehensive sustainable energy system that integrates a variety of renewable solutions such as photovoltaic systems, wind turbines and charging stations for electric vehicles.
Matching Efficiency with Energy Sobriety
The decarbonisation of both industry and heating networks is an urgent challenge at a time when calls to save energy are growing louder, particularly in the run-up to winter. Equans promotes the economical use of energy by encouraging virtuous behaviours. This includes:
- Installing sensory detection systems for heating or lighting;
- Switching to LEDs;
- Turning off IT equipment when not in use;
- Regularly servicing systems such as boilers and geothermal heating systems to maintain their efficiency.
Improving the Energy Efficiency of Heating and Cooling Systems
To reduce emissions, it is first important to improve the efficiency of heating and cooling systems.
Equans specialises in improving systems for a diverse customer base, including industries such as food supply, medical technology, heavy infrastructure, battery manufacturing and nuclear power plants, where downtime and lost productivity are not an option.
Our goal is to transform our customers' technical systems into tools that are both economically and climatically efficient. To this end, we develop and install efficient solutions for heating, cooling, air treatment and air conditioning. These systems are not only energy efficient and reduce emissions, but also ensure environmental protection, health and safety without compromising operational performance.
Our approach is based on resilient, scalable and innovative technologies in our HVAC systems and solutions. Our teams are supported by in-house engineering capabilities, namely through one of the largest HVAC design offices in Europe. Their expertise enables the development of state-of-the-art solutions. These solutions include project management with optimised cost and schedule control, intelligent management, BIM, predictive maintenance and connected sensors/IOT. In addition, they focus on building scalability and performance, ensuring that the selection of optimal equipment is integrated into the development of the building.
We also focus on the use of low-carbon refrigerants such as CO2, ammonia and HFO to meet environmental efficiency targets.
De Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges, Belgium
Equans installed an HVAC system in the brewery's bottling plant that included an ammonia/glycol refrigeration system with a natural refrigerant. The system utilised biogas from wastewater to generate steam. The residual heat was used to heat the building, providing a sustainable circular approach to industrial cooling.
Equans also installed an NH3-based cooling system and a high-temperature heat pump at the Ennstal Milch KG dairy in Stainach-Pürgg, Austria, which proved to be both economical and environmentally friendly. The system should reduce the dairy's CO2 emissions by 650 tonnes per year.
Heat Pumps and Waste Heat Recovery: Equans’ Proprietary Technologies
A key technology in the group’s portfolio is industrial heat pumps, which offer a more efficient alternative to conventional gas boilers and significantly reduce carbon emissions, offering up to 400% efficiency in energy utilisation. This technology can lead to significant energy savings and lower energy bills, making it a sustainable alternative to traditional HVAC systems. Heat pumps utilise stable temperatures in the ground, making them a reliable and environmentally friendly source of energy.
Our technology offering includes high-temperature industrial heat pumps that can generate up to 120 °C, energy-efficient solutions such as GreenPAC, a powerful hybrid heat pump, and FrigoThermi a synergistic cooling and heating mechanism:
-
GreenPAC is a compression and absorption cycle that uses ammonia as a refrigerant and water as an absorbent. This enables the production of water at up to 120 °C at a lower operating pressure, increasing efficiency and safety.
-
FrigoThermi enables the simultaneous production of cold and heat, optimising energy consumption and leading to significant savings.
Equans’ approach is to not only install new systems, but also to ensure that these systems are optimally integrated into existing industrial processes to maximise efficiency and sustainability.
What is waste heat?
In view of the current tension on the energy markets, heat recovery is becoming a decisive factor; not only because of the sharp rise in costs, but also because of the threat of supply shortages and the risk of gas cuts.
The principle of chillers used in industrial processes is to dissipate heat. This allows a component to be processed or the temperature in a cold room to be lowered and stabilised. The dissipated heat is usually lost: this is known as waste heat.
The purpose of a heat pump is to recover this heat from cooling systems, increase its temperature and reuse it in another part of the industrial process. Replacing fossil fuels, heat pumps make it possible to feed waste heat back into industrial processes, and/or redistribute it to local and district heating networks.
Equans has effectively implemented waste heat recovery systems across various industrial sites. At the Haribo confectionery factory in Marseille, France, we achieved a remarkable 80% reduction in energy consumption for water heating. This efficiency was attained by integrating a cooling system that recaptures and repurposes waste heat, thereby substantially decreasing the factory's reliance on gas.
In the context of data centres, Equans has developed solutions for recovering waste heat from buildings to heat other nearby facilities, such as homes, offices, and shopping centres. This approach not only improves energy efficiency, but also expands the reduced environmental impact.
For our project with Compagnie des Fromages et RichesMonts (CF&R), we installed the first GreenPAC in France. The production of soft cheese requires a large amount of refrigeration, for which water at a temperature of 50 °C must be discharged. However, the industrial process also requires large quantities of hot water at over 80 °C to pasteurise the milk. A heat pump with a thermo-cooling pump was installed to recover the waste heat and feed it back into the production cycle. In the first year, almost 4,300 MWh of waste heat was recovered, with a potential of 5,700 MWh. This means a reduction in gas consumption of 23% or more than 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Equans' efforts in heat pump technology and waste heat recovery are in line with our broader strategy to decarbonise industrial production and demonstrate how innovative energy solutions can be effectively implemented in various industrial and urban sectors. The aim is to protect against rising energy prices while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring independence from fossil fuels.
CO2 Neutral Strategy
In simple terms, carbon-neutral means that any CO2 released into the atmosphere from a company's activities is balanced by an equivalent amount being removed.
In a project such as the VIENNA TWENTYTWO urban development in Vienna, Equans designed and implemented a CO2-neutral energy strategy that avoids fossil fuels without compromising on quality and comfort. The aim of this project was to heat and cool several buildings in a 100% CO2-neutral way, covering the heating requirements of around 7.7 MW and the cooling requirements of around 5 MW for the next 23 years.
In winter, the CNS extracts thermal energy from the exhaust air and heats the buildings. In summer, the CNS works in reverse and cools the fresh air. Excess heat and cold are stored in various buffer tanks, in other words, our innovative solutions also utilise the water in the sprinkler basins. Each flat, office, and hotel room can be heated and cooled individually. Underfloor heating and ceiling cooling in all rooms ensure maximum comfort.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
The circular economy around CO2 is developing more and more and connects emitters and consumers. Different sources of CO2 are combined with different uses: historical (soft drinks, refrigerants, etc.) or innovative (synthetic methane, synthetic paraffin, etc.), up to solutions for burying and storing this CO2.
Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technology is a key player in industrial decarbonisation. Equans, through its global partnerships, has advanced CCS technology that captures and safely stores CO2 emissions from industrial heat sources. Our dedicated unit Axima Réfrigération has the expertise to design, manufacture, install and maintain CO2 capture, purification, liquefaction and vaporisation equipment for various industries.
In breweries, as in all other sectors of the food industry, the energy consumption of refrigeration systems accounts for almost 50% of a company's electricity consumption. Controlling energy consumption is therefore essential to limit the company's environmental impact and the associated costs.
In 2018, to coincide with the expansion of the French brewery Goudale, our teams set up an innovative system to recover and treat CO2 from the manufacturing process.
This CO2 purification, liquefaction and vaporisation plant, which went into operation in 2019, purifies and vaporises CO2 for the brewing process. But a technology is only as good as the people who use it. That's why we attach great importance to sensitising users on site and listening to our customers. By identifying the brewery’s needs, we were able to jointly develop specialised solutions and install energy-saving and recovery systems. The site's total energy consumption was reduced by half.
Equans’ Solutions and Services: Comprehensive and Customised
Equans offers a comprehensive service that includes needs analysis, planning, installation, maintenance, and performance monitoring. This holistic approach ensures that customers not only get the right technology, but also maximise its benefits.
One of the most distinctive aspects of our approach is the customisation of our solutions to the specific needs of the industry and the regional anchoring of our operations thanks to our global partner network. Equans recognises that each industry has its own requirements and takes a consultative approach to ensure that the solutions offered are not only technologically advanced, but also aligned with customers' specific operational requirements, regulations, and sustainability goals.
Working side by side with our customer gives us an in-depth understanding of their specific processes; enabling our teams to set up the right support and provide a turnkey service that takes into account their size and requirements and can guarantee equipment availability and continuity of service to their customers. Our teams meet the strictest standards in terms of technical compliance, environmental sustainability and energy efficiency certifications.
Modern cooling technology for a semiconductor plant in the USA
Systecon, an Equans company, supplied prefabricated modules for an innovative cooling system at a new semiconductor manufacturing facility in Marcy, New York, USA. This system, which pumps cooling water, met strict energy targets and construction schedules, underlining Equans' honed expertise in customised solutions even under tight deadlines.
End-to-End Support: Ensuring Regulatory Compliance and Securing Financing
Whether it is to fulfil the expectations of investors, authorities and customers, to improve your image or to increase your long-term performance, you're faced with increasingly ambitious requirements for sustainable development. To help you make a success of your building's ecological transition and fulfil these obligations, Equans Services offers you comprehensive or à la carte support.
From diagnosis to strategy definition, from certification procedures and adaptation to SBTi standards to legal compliance and monitoring, we help you make the right decisions based on realistic, costed scenarios.
As the introduction of new technologies is also associated with financial challenges, Equans Services supports its customers in their search for subsidies and financial assistance to facilitate the transition to more environmentally friendly technologies. Heat pumps are financially supported by energy saving certificates, ADEME, France 2030 or European funds. Equans’ entity specialising in heat pumps, Axima Refrigeration, offers comprehensive support at all stages of this process, including coordination with financial partners.
Equans: A seasoned player and strategic partner
As an industry player ourselves concerned by the same obligations as our customers, our aim is not only to help them reach climate neutrality targets, but also to pave the way for other industries to follow suit. Through an approach that combines cross-sector technological expertise, energy-related regulatory know-how and locally anchored customer-oriented solutions, our real-world applications show that low-carbon heating solutions have improved energy efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions in even the most recalcitrant industrial sectors.
In a world where sustainability in industry is no longer optional, energy leaders like Equans have a crucial role to play in designing a greener, more sustainable industrial landscape. The road ahead is challenging, but by harnessing the potential of technology and innovation and the power of international partnerships, the path to a decarbonised industrial sector seems not only possible, but promising.
