Headlines throughout the world reveal that a global energy transition is underway. Oil and gas and electricity companies are announcing massive investments and strategic moves that embrace renewable energy.

Steel: a key material in a less carbon-intensive world

Renewable energy, which includes solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and others, is at the centre of the transition to a less carbon-intensive society, which also puts steel at the centre of the conversation.

“Steel is required by each of these markets. Without steel, none of the renewable energy sources would be possible. Every renewable energy structure – a wind turbine, a solar panel - requires steel,” says Johannes De Schrijver, CEO of ArcelorMittal Projects.

An expansion of renewable power capacity

According to the International Energy Agency, renewable power capacity is set to expand by 50% between 2019 and 2024. This increase of 1200 GW is equivalent to the current total power capacity of the United States. Solar is expected to account for nearly 60% of the anticipated growth and onshore wind 25%.

Steel will play an important role in all renewables, including and especially solar and wind. Each new MW of solar power requires between 35 to 45 tons of steel, and each new MW of wind power requires 120 to 180 tons of steel.

The solar market

The solar market is divided into two areas. The first are smaller-scale rooftop panels mounted on homes, museums, and stadiums. The second is utility-scale projects, which are larger consumers of steel. These plants produce a standard 100 to 300 MW of energy while some in development are approaching 1000 MW.

Johannes De Schrijver notes: “These are basically small power plants, football fields full of solar panels. If you consider that each new MW requires 35 to 45 tons of steel, that’s a tremendous opportunity for us. This is an area that has our attention.”

Solar technologies

Solar power plants use three technologies, all of which use steel in the structure on which the PV modules or mirrors are attached:

• Solar Photovoltaic (PV) – panels are mounted on a fixed or moving structure that allows the panel to be optimally oriented to the sun throughout the day; the moving structure is gaining ground on the fixed structure with tracker technology accounting for half of all PV structures by 2025.
• Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) - panels with lenses that focus the sun’s ray on a small cell with a much higher energy generation capacity.
• Concentrator Photovoltaics (CPV) - converts sunlight to electricity by PV cells made of semiconductor materials; usually the material is salt, which becomes liquid and generates steam to create electricity.

ArcelorMittal has been a key player in supplying steel to major solar projects around the world including the Beryl Solar Farm in Australia and Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai as well as solar farms in Chile, Egypt, France, Israel, and the United States. The company is also finalising agreements with power-generating companies on solar plants using CSP or CPV technologies. One is the first of its kind that combines both Solar PV and CSP for a revolutionary capacity of 950 MW of energy.

Steel in the wind energy market

Steel is also a major contributor to wind energy, which can be grouped into three key markets:

• Onshore wind farms - relatively small and produce between 2 and 3 MW of power per turbine. A variety of steels is used for the structural tower itself, the house of the turbine, the turbine blades, plus electrical steels for electricity generation
• Offshore wind farms - much larger, with recent turbines producing 5 to 8 MW of energy. Offshore wind consumes more steel than onshore and is an area of interest among investors. Offshore has two advantages: the ability to go much higher with no obstructions and the free flow of wind. Offshore requires a combination of steels to support the huge foundations that are anchored to the sea bed. Steel is also found in the structural tower itself and the blades, which are much thicker and longer.
• New generation wind farms – these wind farms go the distance, literally. These farms will be built even further from shore, requiring a floating structure. Each turbine will produce 7 to 12 MW of energy.

ArcelorMittal: supplying steel to windfarms

ArcelorMittal has been a supplier of steel to some of the world’s largest windfarms, including:

• BorWin3, a 900 MW offshore wind grid connection in the German North Sea.
• East Anglia One, a 714 MW wind farm in the North Sea off the coast of England.
• Greater Changhua, a 2.4 GW wind farm in the Taiwan Strait.

ArcelorMittal Global R&D plays an important role in supporting this market through the development of new steel products and solutions:

• Magnelis®, a breakthrough corrosion resistant steel product, has enjoyed much success in the solar energy market. Magnelis® is the industry’s reference product for ground mounted structures and the product of choice in harsh outdoor and indoor environments.
• A-motion is a new steel solution for solar panels created by ArcelorMittal. A-Motion is a single-row, self-powered, and wireless solar tracker which features a wind-friendly design dimensioned to be safe in any position with no stow position required. With a limited number of components, a global supply chain with possibilities of local content and reduced O&M, the product answers the market’s needs.

“The future of steel in the energy transition is exciting,” says Johannes De Schrijver. “As the world’s largest steel producer with extensive downstream capabilities and fabrication and construction knowledge, we are in an excellent position to provide safe, sustainable steel for the future of energy.”

Text: ArcelorMittal
Images: ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)

East Anglia One wind farm

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park

BorWin3 offshore wind farm grid connection

Despite the challenges of COVID-19 on our daily and professional lives, some projects have continued and have even been successfully completed these past months. Since March 2020, Industeel's site in Charleroi, Belgium has been equipped with 1512 photovoltaic panels on its roof. The green electricity generated will allow Industeel to produce cost-efficient steel while reducing its CO2 footprint. The panels have been fixed on a steel structure coated with Magnelis®.

A strong illustration of sustainability

With this project, ArcelorMittal reinforces its commitment to energy efficiency, renewable energy, and CO2 emissions reduction across all facilities. This project represents one more step towards sustainability and a cleaner future while reducing expense and generating positive EBITDA savings.

Throughout the 20 years of the contract life, the supplier PERPETUM will take on the full maintenance and operations of the panels and will guarantee both the performance and the output of the panels. After 20 years, the panels will belong to Industeel Belgium and will continue to produce energy. The electrical power of each panel is 320 Wp (watt-peak). This corresponds, with southern exposure, to an expected annual global electricity production of 500 MWh, which is equivalent to the energy consumption of 120 households.

Protected by Magnelis®

Industeel worked with Green4Power, who invested in the project, and entrusted the supply, assembly, and commissioning to PERPETUM. The structure supporting the 1512 solar panels was entirely built with Magnelis® - a product of ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products - in grade ZM310 and produced in Liège.

Magnelis® is an exceptional metallic coating with a chemical composition including zinc, 3.5% aluminium, and 3% magnesium. This unique composition allows Magnelis® to provide an unprecedented level of surface and cut-edge protection against corrosion even in the most hostile environments.

This project was successfully completed thanks to the excellent teamwork between Industeel and the European Procurement Organisation's energy efficiency projects team, who implement various energy efficiency projects including on-site solar photovoltaic projects on the roofs and land of ArcelorMittal sites.

"The renewable energy generated by these 1500 solar panels supports us in achieving ArcelorMittal's ambition to be CO2 neutral by 2050," concludes Alex Nick, CEO Industeel.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: Marc Burton, Energy Management and Optimisation, Industeel Belgium

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Solar panels for Industeel Charleroi roof with Magnelis®

Industeel Charleroi solar panels with Magnelis®

Industeel Charleroi solar panels with Magnelis® banner

Solar panels for Industeel Charleroi roof with Magnelis®

With our two newest Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for Hot rolled and Cold rolled steels, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products is now the only flat products steel producer in the EU with a full set of EPDs for products and solutions, signalling our commitment to sustainable building.

Vital for sustainable building certifications

EPDs are crucial for sustainable building certifications like LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, BNB, or HQE and are now being introduced into national regulations for construction. EPDs explain the optimisation potential over the lifetime of their products to manufacturers who can utilise the information to conserve resources, resulting in a low impact built environment and life cycle cost-effectiveness.

The Institut Bauen und Umwelt - IBU

An EPD details the environmental effects of building products based on a life cycle assessment. It is created by the manufacturer and then reviewed by IBU (the Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V.) on the basis of ISO 14025 and EN 15804.

ArcelorMittal Europe is a member of IBU and, through IBU, global recognition is ensured by their ECO Platform, an organisation of national EPD programme holders in Europe that promotes the cross-border recognition and application of EPDs.

Text: Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe, Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V.

Since 2014, ArcelorMittal has been working with the SCHRAG Group to publicise the benefits of Magnelis® in the German and eastern European markets. That cooperation has led to Magnelis® being recognised as an exceptional metallic coating which provides a breakthrough in corrosion protection. In September 2019, the Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt) granted Magnelis® a Technical National Approval. This approval recognises that Magnelis® resists corrosion for more than 15 years and allows it to be specified for construction applications in Germany and other markets which rely on DIBt standards. For SCHRAG, it means that Magnelis® can be utilised with confidence in the company’s thin-walled cold-formed components, even when they are deployed in highly corrosive atmospheres.

Steel's role

Steel plays a substantial role in SCHRAG’s tailor-made solutions for roofing and cladding which are used in industrial and commercial construction. ArcelorMittal supplies a range of metallic coated and painted coils to SCHRAG. These products are typically utilised to create bent profiles which are used as lightweight parts for roofs and walls. Applications include purlins, transoms, skylight substructures, and moulded parts.

Durability of Magnelis® stands out

"The outstanding properties of Magnelis®, documented in the DIBt approval, have enabled SCHRAG to make full use of Magnelis® in many applications,” says Gunnar Koelsch, head of purchasing at SCHRAG. “For example, Magnelis® ZM310 is the only zinc-magnesium coating which remains durable for more than 15 years according to DIBt. And the approval covers constructions in zones with a corrosivity rating of C4 under the European norm ISO 12944-2. This is unique.”

Magnelis® effectively protects surfaces against corrosion in two ways: as a barrier and as cathodic protection. It also offers excellent protection on cut edges. In these areas, the coating reforms to ensure full protection for the steel substrate. After checking the self-healing effect of Magnelis® on cut edges, DIBt concluded that the coating (minimum weight of ZM310) can be utilised with uncoated edges of up to 6.0 mm. The uncoated edges should not have an aesthetic function. This is the only German technical approval for a metallic coating which includes uncoated edges up to a thickness of 6 mm.

Strong partnership relies on open communication

One of SCHRAG’s goals is to act as a problem solver for its customers. Common projects and long-term partnerships are essential for this as Gunnar Koelsch explains: “A real partnership requires long-term cooperation, commercial and technical transparency. We have found such a partnership with ArcelorMittal.”

The very good partnership between the two companies covers subjects ranging from classic sales topics to joint projects. Both appreciate the open communication, even during negotiations. “This is particularly evident in challenging times such as those we face today,” says Mechthild Janischowsky, market segment manager at ArcelorMittal Commercial Germany. “Models have been developed which offer viable solutions for both partners. This has only been possible through the mutual trust we have developed after decades of working together.”

About SCHRAG

Founded in 1892, SCHRAG began as a small business which produced enamelled, tinned, and galvanised products. Today the company is led by the fourth generation of the family and manufactures lightweight metal solutions for roofs and facades. The SCHRAG Group employs almost 500 people at 16 locations in Austria, Czechia, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

More information: www.schrag.eu

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: SCHRAG Group

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SCHRAG profiles with Magnelis®

SCHRAG profile with Magnelis®

SCHRAG profile with Magnelis®