Concept Zero

Power Heat delivers - World's first carbon-neutral steel heat exchanger for ESS

On 8 March 2024, Power Heat delivered the world's first carbon-neutral steel heat exchanger from Alfa Laval to ESS, setting a new standard for sustainable energy solutions and reducing industrial carbon emissions.

This groundbreaking development, produced by Alfa Laval with recycled carbon steel from Swedish steelmaker SSAB, represents a significant contribution to the global effort to reduce CO2 emissions associated with steel production, which accounts for about 10% of the world's CO2 emissions.

8 March 2024: Delivery of the world's first carbon neutral heat exchanger Concept Zero from Alfa Laval in collaboration with ESS, SSAB, Kraftringen and E.ON. Photo: Ulrika Hammarlund/ESS

Delivery of two heat exchangers from Alfa Laval to ESS.

The recycled carbon steel, produced by SSAB in a renewable energy electric furnace, marks the beginning of environmentally friendly steel production. This strategy paves the way for a future where all steel is carbon neutral by combining HYBRIT's green steel technology with recycled resources.

The environmentally friendly heat exchanger will be installed in the ESS accelerator cooling station for Medium Beta. Although its primary role is to cool the accelerator systems at ESS, it is also connected to the central plant's heat circulation system, which sends excess heat from ESS to Lund's district heating system, covering the heating needs of the approximately 40,000 people expected to live and work in the Brunnshög district in north-east Lund.

While the updates to the High Beta station have been carried out with traditional heat exchangers, the installation of the carbon-neutral steel heat exchanger in the Medium Beta station marks the beginning of a new era in sustainable cooling systems.