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This real-scale innovation initiative will be implemented in an oven and will replace almost half of the natural gas used with green hydrogen

2021-04-22 00:00:00.0

Iberdrola and Porcelanosa launch their first project to electrify ceramic production by combining renewables, green hydrogen and heat pump technology

Estación de Hidrógeno Porcelanosa - Iberdrola

The co-called GREENH2KER project has been submitted to the European Innovation Fund Small Scale Projects programme and is aimed at real investment measures with highly innovative content.

Iberdrola and Porcelanosa have launched the first project to electrify ceramic production by combining renewables, green hydrogen and heat pump technology. The so-called GREENH2SKER project is the first joint project that these two companies have launched after recently entering into an agreement to promote the decarbonisation of the industrial ceramic production process.

The purpose of the project is twofold. On the one hand, it will improve energy use and reduce CO₂ emissions by developing a system that uses both green hydrogen and a heat pump to be implemented in an oven in a Porcelonosa factory in Vila-real. This solution will optimise residual thermal energy, replacing up to half of the natural gas used as fuel with green hydrogen.

The integral project includes installing an electrolyser on the Porcelanosa site, powered by a photovoltaic plant to produce green hydrogen. It will also include a technological structure that will utilise excess waste heat and heat from the production lines by means of high-efficiency systems.

By making these changes to its combustion system, Porcelanosa will integrate green hydrogen generation with the efficient use of a heat pump to avoid releasing 2,351 tonnes of CO₂ /eq year and reduce the energy impact derived from its industrial activity, thus complying with the Decarbonisation Objectives set by the European Union.

This innovative solution, the first of its kind implemented in the ceramics industry, opens the road to the decarbonisation of this sector and other thermal energy-intensive industries which are currently heavy users of fossil fuels.

As well as Iberdrola and Porcelanosa, Sacmi, an international ceramic industry plant and machinery manufacturer will collaborate on the GREENH2KER project. The measure has been presented to the European Innovation Fund Small Scale Projects programme, aimed at real investment projects with highly innovative content. It will be judged according to its new technology, GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions savings and the maturity and replicability to decarbonise other industry sectors.

Green investment to reactivate the economy and job market

Iberdrola is convinced that the energy transition can serve as a driving force in the transformation of industry and recovery with a greener economy and employment. The company has, therefore, launched a historic investment plan worth 150 billion euros over the next decade, 75 billion euros by 2025, to triple renewable capacity, double network assets and take advantage of the opportunities brought by the energy revolution that the world's leading economies are facing.

Investments in Spain total almost 14.3 billion euros by 2025, which will be spent mainly on renewables and smart networks.

After twenty years promoting the energy transition, Iberdrola is a leader in renewable energy with nearly 35,000 MW installed; a volume that makes its generation park one of the cleanest in the energy sector.

With 98 grCO2/kWh emissions, which is already two thirds lower than the European average, the investment strategy in clean energy and grids will make Iberdrola a "carbon neutral" company in Europe by 2030.

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About Iberdrola

Iberdrola is one of the world’s main energy companies, a leader in renewables, and it is spearheading the energy transition towards a low-emission economy. The group continues to supply power to around 100 million

people in dozens of countries and carries out its renewable, grid and commercial activities in Europe (Spain, the UK, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the US, Brazil, Mexico and Australia, and has markets like Japan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others, as growth platforms.

With a workforce of more than 37,000 and assets of over €12.518 billion, it recorded turnover in excess of €33 billion and net profit slightly exceeding €3.61 billion in 2020. company supports 400,000 jobs in its supply chain, with annual purchases of €14 billion. A leader in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has committed more than €120 billion over the last two decades to building a sustainable energy model based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.

About Porcelanosa

Porcelanosa is a holding company made up of eight companies and 1,082 points of sale in 134 countries. It is a world leader in the manufacture, distribution and marketing of ceramic floor and wall tiles, as well as new generation kitchens, bathroom equipment, ventilated façades, wood, marble and compact minerals such as Krion®. This multinational company with 48 years of experience has a workforce of around 5,000 people and its annual turnover reached 850 million euros in 2019, growing exponentially in the Spanish, British, Portuguese and US markets.

Porcelanosa has opted for business diversification, which has enabled it to take its brand around the world with design, innovation, technology and sustainability as its main pillars. Committed to the environment and to reducing its carbon footprint, the company has refocused its production lines towards a green model that seeks to optimise natural resources and promote the circular economy by reducing, reusing and recycling waste, the progressive electrification of thermal processes and reuse of industrial water, among other initiatives.