Avery Dennison launches Europe’s “largest” solar thermal platform and storage unit

07 Sep 2023 --- Avery Dennison has commissioned “Europe’s largest” Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) platform and Thermal Storage unit at its production plant in Turnhout, Belgium.

The renewable energy project contains a Concentrated Solar Thermal platform with 2,240 surface mirrors, a solar field peak yield of 2.7 GWh thermal power and six thermal storage modules with a capacity of 5 MWh thermal power. 

The renewable energy platform, consisting of a CST field and Thermal Storage unit, covers 5,540 square meters and will contain “the largest” installation of parabolic mirrors combined with thermal energy storage in an industrial Europe setting. 

Tinne Van der Straeten, Belgian Minister of Energy, comments on the project: “The greatest potential for energy is in our own hands. Here in Turnhout, Avery Dennison, Azteq, Energynest and Campina Energie prove exactly that by commissioning Europe’s largest Concentrated Solar Thermal Platform and Thermal Storage unit.” 

“The clean energy transition is the only path to a sustainable future. Investments in innovative renewable energy sources, like this project in Turnhout, will lower our carbon output and have a positive effect on climate change. I am proud to see the active involvement and enthusiastic community support from local Turnhout residents brought together by Campina Energie. Only by working together will we tackle the climate crisis.”

Once the platform operates it will reduce GHG emissions by 9% annually.Sustainable adhesives 
Once the platform operates, it will provide heat equivalent to 2.3 GWh of gas consumption, reducing the plant’s GHG emissions by 9% annually. During summer months and high-sunshine periods, it will provide up to 100% of the factory’s heat demand.

The project is a collaboration with Azteq, an organization that builds, develops and maintains CST facilities. Energynest, a thermal energy storage provider, and local community group Campina Energie, helped secure a portion of the project financing.

The CST platform is said to concentrate energy from direct sunlight into a collector tube filled with absorption liquid, like thermal oil. Additionally, thermal energy from this process will be stored in Energynest’s ThermalBattery and dispatched on demand as secure, green heat. 

The platform can also produce and dispatch high-temperature thermal energy on demand when coupled with the six battery modules. The Avery Dennison production facility’s solar field, thermal storage and heat distribution system is all connected by the Balance of Plant (BoP) by Aura, and used for heat shifting between the heat sources and heat sinks.

By supplying zero-carbon solar energy, the project will help provide heat to run drying ovens, used during the coating process of pressure-sensitive adhesive products manufactured at the site. These products are used in automotive, building and construction, medical devices and personal care industries.

Partnering for energy transition
Campina Energie, engaged in green energy projects and represents more than 1,000 Turnhout residents, is financing the project. The Energynest thermal battery installation received funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. Azteq’s CST platform is partially funded by the Flemish government through the call Green Heat.

The BoP has been developed in the research project #Modulus, which is partly funded by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and NGO Climate Action.

“We have big ambitions to tackle climate change and achieve net zero by 2050. To meet these goals, we will look across our industrial processes and identify opportunities to implement new technologies that decarbonize and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. The successful commissioning of the project in Turnhout is a big step forward in our sustainability plans,” says Mariana Rodriguez, general manager at Avery Dennison Performance Tapes Europe.

Christian Thiel, CEO at Energynest, adds: “Avery Dennison is paving the way for a more sustainable and modern industrial sector in Europe. Companies across industries are considering how to best reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and decarbonize high-emitting activities, like heat production while continuing to provide affordable, reliable goods and services to consumers.” 

“We will help solve these issues by reducing energy costs, helping the scale out of reliable renewable energy like CST and decarbonizing heat production.”

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim