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Currently, as much as 80% of our global energy production system continues to rely on fossil fuels. Transitioning from this reliance on fossils to establishing a sustainable, renewable energy system is arguably one of the most complex tasks of the 21st century. Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW) provides technologies and solutions that enable this transition and help companies reach their decarbonization goals.
To mitigate climate change, enhance energy independence, and ensure a more sustainable and economically viable future, we need an energy system where the net energy consumption is balanced out by the production and storage of clean, renewable energy. What we need are net zero energy ecosystems. By balancing energy generation with energy consumption, net zero energy ecosystems aim to minimize the use of non-renewable energy sources and reduce emissions and environmental impact.
SFW provides technologies and solutions that are essential to the success of the net zero energy systems. Our solutions are the missing links that make various renewable energies, waste recycling and the decarbonization of power, transportation and hard-to-abate sectors achieve net zero or even net negative carbon emissions.
Globally, the majority of greenhouse gas emissions stem from just a few sectors, including power and heat generation, the transport sector, and industrial emissions. Here’s how we support those main emission sectors on their journey to net zero.
Balancing renewable energy fluctuations with a long-duration energy storage solution
The rapid expansion of solar and wind power highlights the critical need for energy storage solutions to manage the variability in renewable energy generation.
Our solutions for long duration energy storage offer renewable energy developers, off-grid mines, steel manufacturers and other major electricity consumers seeking a dependable power supply a way to store energy from variable, renewable power sources. Long duration energy storage enables reliable, clean, and flexible energy generation, while stabilizing the power grid.
SFW’s industrial scale Liquid Air Energy Storage solution1 works by using excess wind and solar energy to power compressors that compress air. The air is then cooled until it liquefies, allowing energy to be stored. When energy is needed, the liquid air can be converted to a pressurized gas to drive turbines and generate electricity.
Together with our technology partner, we are currently building our first semi-commercial scale liquid air energy storage plant in Japan. The plant will be operational by early 2025. Simultaneously, our partner in the UK is building the first full-scale plant in Manchester and planning to have it up and running by 2026.
Turning residual biomass into valuable sustainable fuels
In the effort to decarbonize the aviation and marine sectors, where there are significant barriers for electrification, there is a pressing need to develop sustainable fuels as an alternative solution.
SFW’s gasification technologies allow you to turn residual biomass, such as municipal solid waste or biomass residues from the pulp and paper industry, into valuable syngas or product gas. The gas can then be refined into different types of sustainable biofuels suitable for use in aviation and marine transportation.
Our gasification technologies allow oil and gas companies, the chemical industry, pulp and paper industries and waste management companies to repurpose biogenic feedstocks while substituting fossil fuels.
Carbon capture provides a proven pathway to sustainability and profitability
In industries such as cement, steel, and waste-to-energy, electrification presents challenges. As a result, these sectors continue to struggle with persistent process emissions. To prevent the release of CO2 into the atmosphere, implementing carbon capture technologies is crucial in these industries.
SFW’s carbon capture solutions help you replace your industrial emissions with carbon negative performance and even generate additional revenues within the circular economy.
When carbon capture is coupled with sustainable energy generation, it offers the potential for achieving negative emissions. Additionally, when paired with electrolyzers, carbon capture enables the production of e-fuels for the shipping and aviation sectors.
We help our customers with three distinct carbon capture solutions—two developed in-house and one in collaboration with a technology partner. Oxy-fuel is tailored for solid fuel bioenergy power plants, while calcium looping targets the cement and waste-to-energy industries. Hot potassium carbonate (HPC)2, in turn, is a more generally applicable carbon capture solution that can be integrated into virtually any processes as a post-treatment step.
Sustainable energy generation offers low carbon, net zero, or even net negative energy
The energy generation sector is the largest source of emissions globally and is projected to grow with the increase in population and standard of living. At the same time, industries face challenges in substituting heat and steam with a reliable, stable energy source that does not fluctuate. Bioenergy provides a highly cost-competitive solution to address these industrial challenges.
At SFW, we offer totally customizable sustainable energy generation solutions in the form of bioenergy production plants that allow you to produce electricity, process steam and district heat from renewable sources with maximum efficiency. In addition to the bioenergy plants, we also provide carbon capture systems to make the process reach carbon negativity. And to help companies reach their net zero targets, we offer fuel conversions for their existing assets, helping companies switch from fossil fuels to renewable biomass.
With over 40 years of expertise in solid fuel power plants, our cutting-edge technologies have been implemented in over 700 plants worldwide.
SFW – Decarbonizing the world with interconnected solutions
Integrating diverse solutions is the key to optimizing the efficiency of future energy systems. This interconnected ecosystem allows for a more resilient and sustainable energy system, reducing reliance on traditional fossil fuels and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
SFW's integrated decarbonization solutions and technologies help do just that. They bridge the gaps between mainstream solutions such as electrolyzers and variable renewable power plants, contributing to decarbonization efforts and expanding the applicability of net zero energy solutions even to the most challenging use cases.
Join us on this journey to power a decarbonized world, for everyone.
1 Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW) provides Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) solutions utilizing a technology license from Highview Power.
2 Regarding the Hot Potassium Carbonate (HPC) solution, Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW) collaborates with Capsol Technologies to incorporate their patented EoP™ heat recovery technology into SFW's HPC+ system.