The rigorous shift away from fossil fuels is a global challenge that cuts across all industries. Not only the advancing climate change and the target of CO2 neutrality by 2045, but also the import dependency on fossil fuels reveal that there is no alternative to switching to renewable energies and new technologies.
Production processes in the glass industry are already highly optimized to produce glass with consistent quality and low emissions. CO2 neutrality can only be achieved by switching to new key technologies for avoiding process-related emissions.
The focus is primarily on solutions such as all-electric furnaces, which, however, cannot be operated solely with renewable electricity due to their high energy requirements. Hydrogen hybrid furnaces could achieve about 80% of the required energy electrically and the rest through hydrogen combustion. The next challenge is then to build an infrastructure for renewable electricity and hydrogen.
