| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2022 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Aluminum Reduction Technology Joint Session with REWAS: Decarbonizing the Metals Industry
|
| Presentation Title |
The Contribution and Economics of Demand Side Response towards Decarbonizing the Aluminium Industry |
| Author(s) |
Nicholas B. Depree, David S Wong, David Thomas |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Nicholas B. Depree |
| Abstract Scope |
Baseload energy consumption by smelters is rapidly becoming less valuable to power grid operation and stability due to penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE). For global industry to decarbonize, many smelters must find pathways to reduce their dependence on thermal baseload generation. Retrofittable technology can now enable +/-20% modulation at any time, allowing smelters to increase the use of VRE in their energy mix, or for them to help firm VRE in national grids. Decarbonizing power systems provide by far the greatest driver to reduce carbon footprint - firming of VRE via smelter modulation is the cheapest way to achieve this, and can attract governmental attention and funding. A detailed analysis of two energy markets shows that beyond the decarbonization benefits, modulation is also economically advantageous to smelters, with short payback periods, and new contractual scenarios are proposed whereby smelters could sell the unused power in the market. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: Light Metals |
| Keywords |
Aluminum, Environmental Effects, Other |