Developing Transformation Paths to Decarbonization for the Energy System of Two Hitachi Facilities

On behalf of the Hitachi Research & Development Group, two locations of Hitachi Ltd. Corporation were analyzed. The aim of the project was to develop transformation paths for the decarbonization of the facilities’ energy system by 2040.

An increasing number of companies are interested in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. A relevant part of the company's internal emissions typically stems from the energy system of the company’s facilities. The energy supply of a location and the possibilities of decarbonization depend on the facility-specific framework conditions. The development of tailor-made solutions is therefore essential to maximize emission reduction using a minimum of funds.

To map the complex interactions and facility-specific conditions of an energy system, the use of energy system optimization tools is beneficial. These tools allow the simulation of complex energy systems and cost-optimized solutions can be found. For this specific consulting project DISTRICT, a tool developed at Fraunhofer ISE, was used. It allows representing a wide variety of energy systems and simultaneously optimizing investment decisions and operational planning.

Real load profile data from the two locations were used for the energy system model DISTRICT to develop cost-optimized transformation paths. The local potentials for renewable energies were approximated through an analysis of the locations and simulated using facility-specific renewable generation profiles. In addition, research on different technologies was carried out. This made it possible to create country-specific cost structures for the considered technologies, allowing a realistic representation of cost in the transformation pathways.

During the project, the use of hydrogen and hydrogen production was examined in more detail and represented accordingly in the model. By integrating potentially interesting technologies, important trends can be considered in an early stage of energy system design.