Overview of the project
Shree Cement continues its leadership in being a responsible corporation by making investments in solar as one of its core sustainability focus areas. Mr Man Mohan Rathi, Sr. Vice President, further highlighted their environmental goals. “We have been very conscious about how we impact our surroundings and always taken proactive steps towards ensuring high levels of sustainability. The solar initiative is a move in that direction, and it gives us tremendous advantages of self-reliance, reduction in costs and reduction in our carbon footprint. Freyr Energy has proven its expertise by providing us with the right solution and has established itself as a partner of choice for our solar requirements.”
System size and capacity:
3 MW – installations are across 3 factories located in Beawar, 1MW Solar Plant at Factory Panipat and Haridwar.
Case for Solar in the cement Industry:
The annual energy consumption by the cement industry contributes close to 10 per cent of the total energy consumed in the entire industrial sector. Energy costs account for a significant percentage (approximately 30-40 per cent) of the total manufacturing cost. One of the major problems of the cement industry is the availability of power. A drastic cut in electricity, shortage of coal, inadequate availability of wagons for transport, and limited availability of furnace oil contribute significantly to the issue. “Due to the nature of the industry, the cement plants are in remote, dry and hot areas that enjoy tremendous amounts of solar radiation; conditions ideal for deployment of solar plants. The industry can reduce its dependency on traditional power sources to a large extent and rely on solar solutions for its power needs” adds Saurabh Marda, MD of Freyr Energy.
Impact:
Freyr has promised a performance guarantee of 16,60,000 kWh per year at each site in line to help Shree Cement meet some of its sustainability commitments. The amount of CO2 emission saved through the project will be 4098 tons per year from all three sites.
About our client(s):
Shree Cement is one of the largest cement manufacturing companies in the country. Shree Cement was the first Indian and the third Asian cement company to join the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Switzerland. As a member of CSI, the Company is committed to reducing its energy footprint, and emission, by implementing best practices such as co-processing of AFR, improvement of health and safety, maintaining transparency among stakeholders and sharing its knowledge with other members
Frequently Asked Questions
The energy expenses of a cement manufacturing unit amount to approximately 30 to 40 percent of the total production cost. Issues include power availability, coal shortages, transport, and furnace oil. However, cement plants can benefit from solar energy, reducing dependency on traditional sources.
The solar initiative helps the cement industry achieve sustainability goals. It also helps them to be self-reliant for energy requirements. In addition, a solar plant helps them reduce their operational costs and run their operations without any power breaks.
Remote areas are dry and hot areas that receive abundant sunlight. These areas are ideal for solar plant installation. A solar installation for cement plants helps them become self-sustainable with energy requirements.
A solar plant also ensures an uninterrupted power source, which is essential for a smooth manufacturing process.
The cement industry requires continuous electricity, but conventional energy may not be sufficient. Solar energy offers an affordable, uninterrupted power source, protecting industries from price fluctuations without affecting their budgets, unlike fossil fuels.
Solar power has significant potential in the cement industry, as it can fill a gap in traditional energy sources and generate surplus power, potentially leading to significant profits.
No fossil fuels are used in the production of solar power. Solar power helps reduce the carbon footprint. The cement industry after installing solar systems can eliminate tons of CO2 from the air, and achieve its sustainability goal.
The cement industry can significantly reduce electricity bills by installing solar power, reducing the use of costly conventional energy and providing continuous electricity, thereby enhancing manufacturing capacity.
Cement plants can reduce dependency on conventional grids by utilizing solar energy for uninterrupted electricity supply and emergency storage, thereby promoting self-reliance.
Cement manufacturing uses significant electricity, causing pollution and global warming. Solar energy, which uses sunlight, supports sustainability and cleans the air.