Christian Breyer
@christianonre
Professor for Solar Economy @UniLUT. Interested in sustainable energy-industry-CDR systems based on #100RE. Safe planetary boundaries matter.
9/ This shift transforms forestry-dominated industries from mere biomass combustors into vital providers of carbon feedstock for sustainable e-fuels & e-chemicals. It offers a strategic blueprint for aligning heavy industrial resilience with deep defossilisation.
7/ The study demonstrates that Southeast Finland can achieve a #100RE system by 2050, dropping levelised electricity costs to 34 €/MWh, largely through direct electrification of industrial heat using electric boilers and thermal energy storage.
6/ To address this, we used LUT-ESTM to simulate cost-optimal pathways using hourly resolution and a multi-node approach that explicitly couples power, heat, transport, and industry sectors.
4/ In Southeast Finland, industries like pulp & paper, cement, and steel account for roughly 80% of final energy demand. The region must navigate this massive baseload requirement alongside geopolitical pressures, having recently lost major energy imports from Russia.
12/ Spatial distribution of PSC matters. In a DAC-only scenario, e-fuel synthesis is clustered in regions with the best wind conditions. Enabling PSC shifts production to industrial hubs (such as Southeast and Centre-West Finland prominent for P&P).
11/ While the differences in the electricity mix and the overall energy system between the scenarios are minimal, e-fuel production costs are higher in DAC-only scenario. e-Fischer-Tropsch liquids are 8% more expensive, while e-methanol costs are up 13%, compared to PSC scenario.
10/ A scenario with integrated PSC cuts total annual system costs by 2.5% in 2050 compared to a scenario with only DAC. Over the entire transition period (2020-2050) this leads to 0.9% in savings. While the reduction seems small, it amounts to 3.8 b€ in absolute terms.
9/ Biomass PP have a dual role: providing flexible dispatchable electricity and acting as a carbon source for e-fuel synthesis units, especially in regions with higher population and energy demand (Southern Finland).
8/ The analysis shows that when PSC is available, the system avoids installation of DAC. By 2050, point sources supply over 99% of the required CO2. Biomass PP supply over half of the CO2, followed by P&P, together comprising over 90%, with the rest coming from waste incinerators.
6/ Methods 1: LUT Energy System Transition Model (LUT-ESTM) is used to model Finland’s energy-industry system across 7 regions in hourly resolution in 2020-2050. We compared 2 scenarios: 1) PSC scenario: both PSC and DAC enabled; 2) noPSC scenario: forced to use DAC only.
2/ Background 1: Power sector and road mobility defossilisation is underway via direct electrification, but long-haul transport and heavy industry need carbon-based e-fuels. Most 100% RE system studies assume carbon comes from DAC. Industrial PSC is largely ignored in literature.
1/ New @lut.fi research analyses the energy system transition pathways comparing CO2 point source capture (PSC) vs. direct air capture (DAC) for a highly renewable energy-industry system on the case of Finland doi.org/10.1016/j.en...
10/ Policy recommendations: Targeted R&D funding, carbon contracts for difference, faster grid expansion, cross-industry hydrogen & CO2 infra planning, operational cost support & green lead markets are needed to create viable business cases for defossilised industrial products.
8/ Cross-sectoral barriers include insufficient power grid capacity, limited renewable fuel availability, missing hydrogen and CO2 infrastructure, low technology readiness, and uncertain market acceptance for green products.
4/ The empirical focus lies on the glass industry, complemented by exploratory insights from the cement industry and a contextual comparison with ceramics.
1/ New research @lut.fi @RL_Kolleg doi.org/10.1016/j.se... explores structural and technical barriers for defossilisation pathways for non-metallic mineral industries, with a focus on glass and cement.
9/ Wave power has a vital role in future. Where land scarcity hinders massive wind power or solar PV farms, offshore wave power offers a crucial advantage. Furthermore, its reliable output is highly suitable for inflexible, 24/7 operations like data centres or water desalination.
8/ These findings highlight the economic realities of global e-fuel supply chains. Ultimately, the lowest-cost e-fuels will probably come from massive wind power and solar PV hubs in regions like Chile, rather than from wave power.
7/ Previous studies largely overlooked wave power for e-fuels, only highlighting its high full load hours as a core advantage. This study reveals that the capital expenditures of wave power leads to comparable but a bit higher e-fuel production cost than hybrid PV-wind plants.
6/ Newly developed open-source energyHub-LUT model shows that wave power's stability cuts battery needs by 25-100%, but its high capital expenditures make it less economically viable than onshore wind and solar PV for e-fuel production.
5/ This study addresses the underexplored potential of using wave power in dedicated, off-grid energy hubs for large-scale e-fuel production in 2050 in regions with exceptional wave resources. Special focus is laid on Ireland, Chile, and New Zealand.
1/ New collaboration study @lut.fi @dmec-eu.bsky.social @tudelfteemcs.bsky.social @corpowerocean.bsky.social shows that wave power could play a role in energy hubs where land scarcity hinders onshore RE doi.org/10.1016/j.en..., reducing the need for flexibility thanks to more consistent output.
6/ ⚠️ Current research remains geographically and biologically uneven. Most studies focus on Europe, China & the USA, while insects, amphibians, reptiles, freshwater ecosystems & biodiversity-rich regions such as #Brazil and #Australia remain underrepresented.
5/ 🦋 Around 69% of studies reported positive biodiversity outcomes when #biodiversity-conscious management practices were implemented, including #wildflowerseeding, ecological mowing regimes, grazing strategies & #habitatrestoration.
4/ 🌱 Biodiversity impacts of #solarPV are highly context dependent. Negative impacts are mainly reported when PV systems replace biodiversity-rich natural habitats, while degraded or intensively managed land can experience #biodiversitygains after PV deployment.
2/ 🔬 The study combines #LifeCycleThinking with the IPBES biodiversity-loss framework, linking solar PV life-cycle stages with key biodiversity drivers including land use, climate change, pollution, invasive alien species & direct exploitation.
1/📢 New research @lut.fi presents a holistic biodiversity assessment of #solarPV systems using #LCA approach doi.org/10.1016/j.ap.... The study investigates how solar PV affects #biodiversity across multiple life-cycle stages and biodiversity-loss drivers.
8/ Our paper also includes a global bibliometric review of #100RE studies on cities. It highlights a clear underrepresentation of urban areas in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Most studies rely on overnight modelling with limited sector coupling.