AGC and E.ON confirm their partnership to improve energy efficiency and decarbonization of sites

In this context, the energy company E.ON and the glass manufacturer AGC are strengthening their partnership with a joint project for the recovery of waste heat and the production of green energy at AGC's float glass factory in Seingbouse, France. . The project will be developed, implemented, financed and operated by E.ON.

E.ON and AGC Glass Europe launched their partnership in 2019 and have already implemented energy efficiency projects in various European countries. In addition, the construction of future photovoltaic power plants with a capacity of up to 20 megawatts (MW) is planned in Hungary and the Czech Republic.

"Waste Heat to Power" Recovery of waste heat to produce CO2-neutral electricity

Waste heat is the largest source of unused energy in the world. About half of the heat used in industry is lost in this way. The heart of the glass manufacturing process is the float glass furnace which operates at high temperatures, over 1000°C. About 30% of the heat required for the production process is ultimately lost in the flue gases and has remained, until now, unused. E.ON and AGC Glass Europe want to remedy this. At the AGC production site in Seingbouse, this heat will be recovered to generate CO2-neutral electricity by implementing an innovative Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plant with a capacity of 1,3 megawatts (MW ).

To further decarbonize the site, E.ON is also installing a photovoltaic (PV) plant with a capacity of 2,7 MW at the plant site. It will produce renewable electricity over a total area of ​​27 m000.

An on-site “Green PPA” to reduce dependence on energy markets

By combining an ORC power plant with a PV plant, E.ON will provide AGC with approximately 10 gigawatt hours (GWh) of carbon-free electricity per year from 2023. This electricity is entirely produced and consumed on the AGC site and covers a large part of the site's electricity needs. On this basis, approximately 595 tons of CO2 are avoided each year.

The project is structured as a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) where E.ON will produce and sell electricity at a fixed price. This will enable the AGC site to protect itself against the risk of volatility in the energy markets. In addition, the project does not require any investment from AGC because it is financed by E.ON and supported by the French State within the framework of the “France Relance” plan set up by ADEME*.

Marc Bartheld, AGC Seingbouse plant manager: “Our plant is one of AGC's largest production lines for the building sector with an annual production of 240 tonnes of float glass. Our goal is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 000% and our energy consumption by 30% by 20. To achieve this, we are constantly working to improve the environmental performance of our production sites. The Seingbouse project here in France is a perfect example of how E.ON can help us not only achieve our sustainability goals, but also ensure the site's long-term competitiveness."

Guenther Schneider, President of E.ON France: “In addition to decarbonization, security of supply and independence from volatile commodity prices are becoming increasingly crucial for our industrial customers in the current market environment. Therefore, these objectives can be achieved by combining energy efficiency measures with the reuse of waste heat and local production of green energy. Thanks to its international presence, E.ON can help AGC to implement this sustainability strategy effectively across all of its European sites."

(*) The ORC project was funded by the French Government as part of the recovery plan operated by ADEME. The “France Relance” program, supported by ADEME, helps to accelerate the decarbonization of French industry.