Netherlands: on the forefront of innovation, SPIE looks to iron powder as a new renewable energy carrier

The Netherlands, Breda, 09 September 2024 – SPIE Nederland, the Dutch subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, will take part in developing an innovative technology that allows industry businesses to use iron powder as a new renewable energy carrier. A renewable fuel source that emits no CO2 directly, only minimal amounts of NOx, and can be safely stored and transported, iron powder could become a viable alternative for companies that cannot connect to congested electricity grids.

SPIE has signed a partnership with Metalot, a network organisation where innovation, research, commerce and education come together and form open innovation clusters. Their goal is to produce a feasibility study promoting the development and implementation of this innovation. The partnership will take the form of a government-subsidised feasibility study (technical, economic and legal) for a full end-to-end metal power pilot programme. In this study, SPIE, Metalot and other organisations will work together to explore all these areas. Metalot will handle technical design, economic business case development and project management. SPIE Nederland will validate the technical design, provide input regarding costs, maintenance and validate the economic business case.

Alternative energy carrier

A significant increase in electricity consumers in the Netherlands has resulted in grid congestion. To prevent electricity demand from exceeding grid capacity, not all businesses have full access to the power they need and there is a waiting list for new electricity connection requests. As a result, companies cannot start or expand new activities or make them more sustainable. At the same time, companies are looking for more renewable fuel sources to lower CO2 emissions from their production processes.

How it works

Stijn van Aken, Metal Fuels Project Leader at Metalot, explains how this innovation generates a new energy source: “Heat released from the combustion of iron powder can be used directly or converted to electricity. This is similar to how other fuel sources work. Iron powder combusted at a large scale in a controlled environment can release large amounts of energy”. 

An excellent energy source, iron powder also offers many advantages in terms of safety and circularity. Mr Van Aken added: “Iron powder corrodes relatively slowly and disperses very little in the wind. Unlike many other fuel sources, such as hydrogen, iron powder does not easily explode, making it easy and safe to transport. It is also a fully circular energy source”.

Steef de Baat, Business Development and Innovation project leader at SPIE, explains: “The rust powder that remains after combustion is collected and converted into clean iron with the help of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydrogen-based solutions. The resulting clean product is then burned once more in the combustion chamber. The heat produced is converted directly into electricity, bringing the process full circle”. At the moment, the pilot study is focused on an industrial energy user with a small-scale, 200 kW heat process which is powered by iron fuel. When successful, SPIE aims to scale the implementation of the technology to a broader range of energy outputs and end users.

Low-carbon economy

Initial iron powder applications are district heating, industrial processes, and electricity generation. Businesses would like to reduce their carbon footprint and at the same time require more energy to continue their operational activities. By further developing iron powder as an energy carrier, SPIE is providing Metalot with knowledge and expertise in technical design, construction, installation, maintenance, servicing and in the validation of the economic business case. Steef: “Our partnership will encourage the development and implementation of this sustainable innovation and contribute to the transition to a low-carbon economy”.