Industry is responsible for 32 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile in heavy industry between 20-50 per cent of energy input is lost as waste heat. This energy is already paid for by the factories in their energy bills and is purely and simply wasted via their chimneys by being ejected into the atmosphere.  
Even worse, is that, often supplementary parasitic energy is required to cool down fumes before filtering the flue gas. In other words, more energy and more money is spent to dispose of waste heat. One solution is called waste heat recovery (WHR).

If we consider waste heat only above 150°C, it represents roughly 2,600 TWh of energy per year worldwide, the equivalent of 31 times the UAE yearly energy demand, or the future annual production of 53 Barakah Nuclear Energy Plants. By recovering this “free” energy, we could potentially save about 1,800 million tonnes of CO2 per year worldwide to help in the fight against climate change. 

This concerns many industries such as the primary metal industry (iron, steel, or aluminium, etc.), but also the ceramic, glass, cement or petro-chemistry industries, that are all already present in the UAE. The idea is to install heat exchangers by way of the exhaust flue gas to recover thermal energy by cooling down the fumes. This thermal energy can be stored, transferred, and re-injected as process heat, or can power a heat engine to produce carbon-free electricity or cooling in the client’s industrial site.  

Seramic is a start-up company established in the Masdar City Free Zone in October 2018. Our ambition is to drive energy intensive industry towards a more sustainable future. We are developing a unique eco-economy model by enhancing energy efficiency in industrial processes, reducing carbon emissions, and recycling industrial waste into value-added products.  It is important to note that we are technology agnostic. Indeed, Seramic is performing a technical energy audit (TEA) on our clients’ sites to propose the best technology adapted to their needs. 

Then we offer turn-key solutions that preserve the industrial process integrity, using only proven equipment. We are across all stages of the project, from the TEA, to the proposal and design of the solution, until the commissioning. Finally, we take care of the operation & maintenance so the client can continue to focus on what they do best, while we concentrate on developing energy projects.  

Our business model includes the capital investment so the client doesn’t even have to invest one cent. Very often, the clients have already thought about energy efficiency solutions in their plants as they are effected by any energy commodity bill increase, which affects the cost of their final products and makes their factory less competitive. 

However, often these companies and businesses prefer to invest in what they already know rather than investing in something they are not familiar with, which is energy. Seramic and its partners solve this issue by investing for the client and the resulting savings are then shared. It’s a win-win-win situation. We are developing a profitable eco-business, the client saves money on its monthly energy bill, and at the same time we are protecting the environment by decarbonizing heavy industry.

As an example, we are developing a first project in Abu Dhabi where the client will save about 10 per cent of its yearly carbon emissions and we will produce up to 50 per cent of its electricity consumption usually taken from the grid, to be replaced by the WHR system. 

For further information you can send an email to contact@seramic.eco or visit our website at www.seramic.eco.

By Dr. Nicolas Calvet / Co-founder & CEO of Seramic

ENGIE is one of the leading Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP) developers and producers in the world, with a strong regional footprint in the GCC dating back 30 years.

Discussions at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week earlier this year centred around ENGIE’s proven world class capabilities and experience in water production, with a view to understanding the main themes and technological trends that will impact and shape water production in the region in the coming years.

With a total gross portfolio of generating more than 30 GW of power and over 5.7 million cubic meters of desalinated water production in operation per day, in line with their commitment to enhancing their investments in the region, ENGIE are aiming to increase their asset portfolio, with a strong focus on the more energy efficient process of Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO).

Historically thermal desalination has been a fundamental part of many power and water projects in the region. More recently however, SWRO has been added to either enhance thermal desalination or replace it entirely, providing the ability to “decouple” the production of water from power generation assets and thereby carefully synchronising with each very specific demand cycle.

This has the benefit of reducing the challenges of having ‘must run’ cogeneration to produce water during the lowest periods of electricity demand. In addition, the use of reverse osmosis (RO) has been proven to be more energy efficient thereby reducing costs and the impact on the environment.

Consequently, the region is witnessing a great deal of interest in medium sized and large SWRO desalination projects. The UAE is at the forefront of this transition and has already launched large scaleRO projects, such as Mirfa IWPP, which includes a 30 MIGD SWRO desalination component as well as Fujairah F2 where 30 MIGD of the 130 MIGD total desalination capacity is based on reverse osmosis, both of which have been successfully developed by ENGIE, as global leader in the technology in partnership with the local authorities and are currently in operation.

World standard expertise and experience in developing and operating large scale RO projects, are key to being able to contribute and assist the relevant authorities in the region to transition towards a more efficient water production future. ENGIE is at the forefront of working with and developing the latest water production technology and benefits from extensive in-house operating experience, including partnerships with first class contractors and can negotiate with financing institutions to secure the best available procurement and financing terms. As demonstrated by a proven track record in Abu Dhabi, in delivering the most cost-effective yet efficient and reliable power and water production in the Emirate.

Leading in-house operations, engineering excellence and maintenance expertise is absolutely vital to operate both reverse osmosis and thermal desalination plants in parallel, which must be backed up with very high efficiency in order to lower the carbon footprint.

Above all, key providers in the water generation and power industry must be fundamentally committed to delivering best-in-class solutions that minimise the impact on the environment, by implementing action plans to avoid, reduce and if necessary, compensate them while optimally managing the resources at its disposal. ENGIE for example is most focussed on providing technical solutions to mitigate the environmental impact in the following areas:

• Climate change, leading to the global warming of the atmosphere and oceans, but also the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events caused by the increase in emissions of greenhouse gases due to the consumption of fossil fuels.
• The management of water resources whether it is fresh, drinkable or wastewater treatment.
• Biodiversity management in different environments or territories potentially impacted by human activities.
• The management of air quality and the issue of green mobility.
• The more general challenge of intelligent management of all resources consumed and the waste produced to propagate a circular and sustainable economy.
  
  

By Sébastien Arbola / Chief Executive Officer of ENGIE Middle East, South & Central Asia and Turkey Business Unit

In February of this year, I left Abu Dhabi and embarked on the long journey to the Casey Research Station located on Vincennes Bay in the Windmill Islands, just outside the Antarctic Circle.

I was representing Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company), to participate in the installation of 105 solar panels and three inverters to provide 30 kW of power into the station’s power grid - the first solar power array at an Australian Antarctic research station.

The solar array was a collaborative project between Masdar and the Australian Antarctic Division to help reduce the reliance on diesel fuel currently delivered by boat from Tasmania, more than 3,000km away.

The solar PV panels are built to withstand extreme weather conditions in the Antarctic, the coldest continent on earth, where katabatic wind speeds can reach nearly 300 km/h and the average temperature ranges from -10 degrees Celsius to -60 degrees Celsius depending on the time of year.

It was a fantastic opportunity for the team based at the station to be able to see that Masdar is actively implementing solutions to address global climate change and environmental issues, while also displaying how the company works in all kinds of remote locations to implement innovative energy solutions.

My days began early, often at 2am to see the aurora – the captivating and awe-inspiring southern lights. Following breakfast, I would meet with my engineering expert and mentor to discuss in detail the busy schedule for the upcoming day. Some days I would spend in the rugged terrain outside, learning about the range of facilities and the different activities taking place at the station such as the mechanical workshops, maintenance facilities, water purification facility, remediation site, powerhouse, survival tools store, and the solar power integrated system.

On other days, when the weather conditions were harsh, I had tours inside the accommodation building and learned in detail about the heating and cooling systems. Usually at 4pm the whole station crew, including scientists, technicians and academics would gather to attend informative seminars and talks or watch relevant documentaries.

Around 7pm, we had dinner together and were early to be 9pm each night, usually exhausted. I found meal times were particularly informative and rewarding. On every single occasion, I had the pleasure to sit and talk to someone new that came from a different culture and background. It was so inspiring to hear the dreams and the experience of each person I met and every time I talked to them they took me on a journey to a different part of the world.

It was such an enriching experience. I was delighted to tell the people I met all about the culture of the UAE and the efforts that the government makes to empower Emirati youth and support women in all fields and industries.

I also did a very special thing that I know not everybody gets the chance to do, which is take part in survival training in the cold desert! I participated in a survival course, learning navigation skills, how to use a map, compass, and GPS to reach the camp safely. We hiked for 10km carrying a backpack that weighs 10kg and boots weighing 2.5kg. The weather conditions were harsh with the wind speed reaching 42 knots and the snow falling all around us. After 3 hours, we reached the camp and started cooking our own food, and made our own beds in the pristine snow. We slept securely overnight and headed back to the station in the early morning.

During my spare time, I would go hiking with colleagues and watch the mesmerising spectacle of thousands of penguins going about their day in their natural habitat.

What helped me a lot that for this trip is that I had previously been to Iceland and experienced a cold climate, and of course not forgetting the three layers of clothes and thermals provided by the Australian Antarctic Division as well as the specials type of insulated boots, socks, and gloves.

In 2017, I had participated in the trip to Iceland as part of an international educational programme, where I studied sustainability and renewable energy at Reykjavík University. I conducted a course project, which was a feasibility study of initiating a solar energy consultation company in the UAE, as well conducting site visits to a hydropower plant, geothermal power plant, and a biodiesel production farm.

As a Material Science graduate from Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, my syllabus included courses related to sustainability, renewable energy, and advanced technologies. These gave me a solid background that helped me have a better understanding about the different projects in Antarctica and their objectives as well.

The entire trip to Antarctica was an incredible experience and I learned so much. The visit to Casey Research Station has increased my awareness and made me want to contribute even more to any project or activity that will have a positive impact on any part of the world.

By Tawaddod Alkindi / Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineer