With the initial power-to-hydrogen-to-power demonstration campaign now underway at the Saillat-sur-Vienne pilot site, the HYFLEXPOWER coordinator, Ertan Yilmaz (Siemens Energy), reflects on what the project has achieved in terms of bringing technologies that will contribute to the decarbonisation of industry closer to the market.
“Right now, at a paper recycling factory in Saillat-sur-Vienne, France, a set of new equipment has been installed, and a demonstration campaign of a revamped power plant is underway. But this is not just any typical power equipment, and it is not just any power supply.
To recycle paper is a great concept for the environment and for customers. Take old, unwanted materials, and instead of adding to landfills, reimagine them. Shape them into new products that will be useful and valuable. To do this on a grand scale, like the factory owner Smurfit Kappa does, takes a tremendous amount of energy. You need heat and power for the facility, the machines, and most importantly for the humans! All of this can pose a strain environmentally and economically. But what if you could produce the heat and power with no carbon emissions? Using renewables and green hydrogen to burn in a gas turbine?”