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2014
Conference Paper
Titel
Energy efficient technologies in the German steel industry - low hanging fruits?
Abstract
Energy efficiency has been recognized as the key short- to medium-run strategy to reduce CO2 emissions and energy use in a cost-efficient way, in particular for energy-intensive industry sectors like steel production. A major option to increase energy efficiency in energy-intensive industries is the implementation of energy efficient technologies. Several studies estimate the potential of these technologies. Still little is known on their diffusion as well as on their impact on the overall energy intensity. Do energy efficient technologies diffuse as expected by diffusion theory? Do all energy efficient technologies follow more or less the same diffusion path? How does the diffusion of energy efficient technologies affect the overall energy use of the investigated industrial sector? And finally, to which extend can the energy use be reduced if all selected energy efficient technologies were diffused completely? In this paper we analyse the diffusion of four energy efficient technologies for the steel industry in Germany since their introduction. Since all technologies have been applied in the German steel industry for more than 30 years we would expect complete diffusion. We derived the diffusion rates based on data such as energy statistics, databases, press releases, annual reports and interviews. We only found complete diffusion for the oldest technologies of our selection. Newer technologies diffused quicker in the initial phase but then their diffusion slowed down. We number the impact of the diffusion of the single technologies on the primary energy use and we estimate by which amount the primary energy use could be reduced if all selected technologies were diffused completely. Furthermore we number the impact of the selected energy efficiency technologies on the energy efficiency improvements since their introduction. Finally, we shortly discuss technology specific market barriers and non-energy benefits.