Today increasingly ambitious CO₂ targets are being set around the world. Reaching them won’t come about by itself. Apart from intelligent energy management and improved energy efficiency, we need to decarbonize power generation for utilities and industry. And since we can’t rebuild energy generation from scratch, assets viewed as burdensome today, such as coal power plants, must be repurposed as bridges to a new energy future. It’s called Brownfield Transformation: Converting existing plants, so they help us reach the decarbonized economy we all aim for.
Brownfield Transformation: Building a bridge to a new energy future
Here’s a power plant. There’s the decarbonized future we aim for. Check our new white paper to explore the options to repurpose existing plants to achieve our goals.
Your situation today: Facing decarbonization targets
As the world enters a new energy age, you’re looking for affordable solutions to reduce emissions while ensuring a reliable and safe power supply. But your fossil power plants hardly fit into a decarbonized future. So, you're faced with the decision to build either a new plant on a greenfield – or convert a brownfield into a new productive asset.
Our solution: Power plant conversion with Brownfield Transformation
Brownfield transformation is a holistic approach to decarbonizing legacy coal, oil and gas-fired power plants combined with the use of existing assets and infrastructure. For example, repowering steam power plants with new gas turbines. It also lays the foundation for a mid-term solution: turning existing power plants into decarbonized hybrid power plants, which could include power generation from renewable energy sources, various storage technologies, and grid stability services. All of this lays the groundwork for future net zero energy systems. Such systems could facilitate sector coupling by integrating renewables, industry, or mobility sectors with the help of green hydrogen.
Repowering power plants for a decarbonized energy economy
You certainly won’t reach net zero with your power plants in one giant leap, but deliberate steps will take you there – going from fuel shift and repowering to hybridization to supporting a new decarbonized economy.
Transforming power generation - We meet you at your starting point
We start where you are. We know that power generation companies and industries have different starting points and move at different speeds on their energy transition journey. That’s why, no matter where you are, we help you pick up speed on your road to decarbonization be it during the concept state, technically or exploring different financing models.
Consultative approach with Energy System Design
First we form a common understanding on your site development plan, considering political, regulatory, and economic factors, short-term vs. long-term goals for the site. Then we assess the site and surroundings in order to identify existing and future revenue streams, such as connections to industrial environments, e.g., process heat and future hydrogen options.
If your decarbonization needs turn out to be rather complex, we advise undertaking a detailed Energy System Design, which comprises a data-based integrated technology & business case study that examines future revenue streams and site surroundings using the available decarbonization portfolio. If technology preselection, e.g., fuel switch, energy storage, heat pumps, etc. is an important factor for you, we can develop your project directly. Whatever your approach, in the end your solution will be a combination of technology components tailored to your business case, market demands as well as efficiency and decarbonization goals.
The road to decarbonization for fossil generation units
Step by step towards a zero CO₂ emissions world
Potential benefits of power plant conversion
No matter which solution you choose for your brownfield conversion, there are numerous potential benefits: avoiding stranded assets; less investment compared to greenfield projects; shorter implementation time, including fewer permits to apply for. At the same time, you may even open new revenue streams. Apart from these advantages, brownfield conversion could also help further your reputation while you contribute to the common good. Altogether, not only will you support decarbonization efforts, but continuing to employ qualified personnel can also significantly ease socioeconomic strains on local communities.
You have arrived: The energetic hearts of a carbon-neutral economy
By 2050 we want to achieve a global carbon-neutral economy.To reach it, we need net zero energy systems enabling sector coupling with new ways of generating, storing, and using energy. It works by transferring renewable power to all energy consuming sectors of the economy, be it buildings, mobility, industry, or agriculture. To realize this goal, power plants, as we know them, will be transformed to hybrid plants. They could include energy storage that allows steady energy flow despite fluctuating renewables, thermal storage for district heating, heat pumps and electrolyzers producing hydrogen. They will be the energetic hearts of our new decarbonized world.
