Sustainable solutions with industrial clusters: Part 1 Decarbonising an industrial cluster requires a methodical techno-economic evaluation based on the carbon abatement cost curve
Joris Mertens KBC (A Yokogawa Company)
I ndustrial clusters represent a substantial part of global greenhouse gas emissions. The combined annual CO 2 emissions of the 20 signatory clusters of the World Economic Forum exceed 600 million tonnes (WEF, 2023). Meanwhile, the European Expert Group on Clusters identifies at least 3,000 industrial clusters in the EU alone (European Commission, 2021). Rather than defined in terms of size and industry type, industrial clusters refer to various facilities in reasonable proximity but generally owned by different entities. Clusters are better positioned to successfully decarbonise than isolated individual industrial sites because of the higher potential to integrate resources via collaboration. Accomplishing this potential, however, is complex. It involves digitalisation, process technology, economics and, possibly most
challenging, trust and active collaboration between players across different industries as well as potential competitors. Optimising industrial systems include three dimensions: Scope, Scale and Frequency, as shown in Figure 1 . Scope refers to the utilities, feeds, and products integrated in the system optimisation. Scale pertains to the selection of sites within the industrial cluster. Lastly, Frequency relates to the time dimension of cluster optimisation (real-time, daily, monthly). The industrial system is optimised when the cluster operates as a system of systems (SoS) that accounts for all aspects of Scope, Scale, and Frequency. Due to the complexity, such an integrated SoS for a large industrial zone does not yet exist, posing the question: What is the best approach to building one?
Frequency/time
Real-time
S o S
Daily
Scope
FSE + H + CO
Fuel + steam + electricity (FSE)
FSE, H , CO , products, stability
Monthly
Fuel
Product feed
Electricity
Equipment
Unit
Site
Cluster
Scale
Figure 1 System of systems (SoS) optimisation
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