Smart energy
Renewables have become a serious part of the energy mix. According to the International Energy Agency power generation from renewable energies – including hydro power – will treble worldwide by 2040. We want to play a major role in the energy transition.
One of our aims is to manage the volatility of renewables, which produce varying amounts of electricity depending on the weather, by means of innovative storage technologies. Other focus areas are our Carbon2Chem project and load management, i.e. matching energy use to energy supply.
We have set ourselves ambitious energy efficiency targets for our own processes. By 2020 we want to improve our efficiency by 3.5 terawatts. That translates roughly into 1.43 million tons of CO2.
Germany | 2012 | 2030 |
---|---|---|
Photovoltaics | 33 GW | ~58 GW |
Wind energy | 31 GW | ~80 GW |
Share of renewables in the energy mix | 23.5% | ~59%* |
Germany | 2012 | 2030 |
---|---|---|
Photovoltaics | 33 GW | ~58 GW |
Wind energy | 31 GW | ~80 GW |
Share of renewables in the energy mix | 23.5% | ~59%* |

We have launched the first cross-industry initiative to utilize emissions from steel production. Carbon2Chem is the name of the project in which steel mill waste gases are to be used as raw materials for the production of chemicals. Carbon2Chem contributes not just to the transition to renewables but also to climate protection.
Waste gases are generated at various points in a steel mill. Among other things they contain nitrogen, hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide (CO2.). Today we use these gases as a source of energy. They are burned in power stations and supply electricity for our steel production.
The aim of the long-term Carbon2Chem project is to use steel mill waste gas as a raw material. The idea is for a nearby chemical plant to use the gas as a starting material for the production of fuels and fertilizers. The CO2. contained in the waste gas would also be converted.
The concept is expected to be ready for industrial-scale use by around 2030. Of course, our steel mill will then still need electricity. This is where renewable energies come in: When wind and solar deliver excess electricity, we will use it in our steelmaking processes. The waste gases would then be split, so part is available for the production of chemicals.
We also want to use the “green electricity” to produce more hydrogen than is already contained in the waste gas. We need the additional hydrogen to convert the CO2.. Carbon dioxide is a very stable chemical compound, and it takes a lot of energy – such as that contained in the hydrogen – to break it down.