Biomass in the form of pellets and wood gas are particularly sustainable fuels. Tests have shown that coal can be largely replaced by biomass coming from sustainably managed forests. The Amer power plant in Geertruidenberg, the Netherlands, is one of RWE’s biggest plants using biomass as a major source of fuel. Another power facility in the Netherlands that is partially fired using biomass, and which therefore makes an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions, is the new, ultra-modern power plant in Eemshaven near Groningen.
Expert engineering and cutting-edge science: the solutions to our energy transition
As a leading power generation company in Germany and one of the biggest in Europe, the demands on RWE are high. The company is expected to offer our customers a secure and value-for-money energy supply in the future, while reducing CO2 emissions using innovative technologies.
Our research and development teams are therefore faced with many challenging tasks. Scientists and engineers deal with the latest questions in the field of modern-day power generation, while designing concepts for the energy supply of tomorrow. The aim is to use technologies that can maintain the balance between cost-effectiveness, security of supply and environmental friendliness within a constantly changing energy market.
Cleaner power, and more of it – RWE reacts to the constantly rising demand for energy while keeping the environment in mind
At the current state of the art in technology, the high capacity requirements for new power plants can only be met with energy-efficient coal- and gas-fired power stations. Reducing CO2 emissions is key in this regard as, in addition to their undeniable role in climate change, they have become a major cost factor since the introduction of emissions trading.
Newer-generation power plants are therefore able to achieve greater output with lower emissions and reduced requirements in terms of resources. RWE is working hard on bridging this gap. As innovation drivers, our research and development teams play a major role in this. The course has been laid out and we have already seen major success. Topics such as CO2 scrubbing, fluidised bed drying and biomass utilisation are some of RWE’s top priorities.
Higher flexibility – fossil fuel power plants underpin the expansion of renewables
The expansion of renewables is resulting in an increase in fluctuating supply to the power grid. In order to counter this effect, it is particularly important that our research and development people create new solutions to operate fossil fuel power plants more flexibly. This would allow these plants to underpin the expansion of renewables and would ensure a cost-effective, secure power supply in Germany over the long term as a partner to the renewables industry.