We are committed to the HYDROGENSET concept

/in /by

The production and storage of green hydrogen for use as fuel opens up new possibilities for sustainable energy generation with zero impact.

In order to better understand the HYDROGENSET concept, it is important to first understand how hydrogen functions as an energy carrier.

Hydrogen is the simplest and lightest element in the periodic table. Hydrogen atoms consist of one proton and one electron, and under normal conditions it is a stable gas of diatomic molecules (H2). It is one of the most abundant elements on Earth and throughout the universe, but it usually exists in combination with other elements: with oxygen as water molecules, or with carbon as organic compounds. It is not a fuel which exists in nature ready for use, rather it is an energy carrier like electricity. It needs to be generated somehow.

There are various methods of producing hydrogen, all of which are based on different feedstocks and energy sources and use different processes. Depending on the feedstock and energy source used to produce the H2, it may be 100% renewable, 100% fossil fuel, or a hybrid H2 with a certain percentage of each.

Hydrogen can be produced in large, centralised facilities or in small, distributed units located close to the point of final consumption. This means that hydrogen can be produced anywhere on the planet, even in remote areas.

A kilogram of hydrogen contains more energy than a kilogram of other fuels (and almost three times as much as petrol or natural gas), and no carbon dioxide is emitted in the process of releasing that energy, only water vapour, so the environmental impact is zero.

Just as there are various methods of generating hydrogen, different energy recovery systems also exist; this is where the HYDROGENSET concept comes into play. The term covers any method of energy generation which uses hydrogen, in any of its forms or states, as a fuel:

  • Combustion in gaseous form in engines, either by blending with other fuels or even using 100% H2.
  • Fuel cells that use a chemical process in which H2 and O2 (air) are introduced to form water vapour, and an electric current is generated by the exchange of electrons and protons across the membrane between the substances.
  • The use of ammonia to power retrofitted internal combustion engines, dual fuel engines, or new engines designed to run on ammonia.
  • The use of methanol for large machines with internal combustion engines, including dual fuel engines, which offer greater versatility as they can be powered by traditional fuels if necessary.

What is energy transition?

/in /by

We have a plan!

We created the Faculty of Energy Transitionand we have obtained official Carbon Footprint Calculation Certification as part of our commitment to sustainability.

Digitalisation, renewable energy sources and energy carriers, and the transition to natural gas are the cornerstones of energy transition.

Climate change is real. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the average global temperature in 2021 was 0.27°C higher than the average over the period from 1991 to 2020, and 0.64°C higher than the average over the period from 1981 to 2010. The potential impact of climate disruption is huge and will have serious consequences, from melting glaciers to drinking water shortages and an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, which will affect us all.

The scientific consensus today is that the cause of this climate disruption is the increase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere as a result of human activity. 90% of the most common polluting gas, CO2, is emitted by the energy industry, mostly from coal-fired power plants.

The Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty, was adopted in December 2015 in an attempt to remedy this situation. It created a global framework for combating climate change which came into force in November 2016. Its ultimate goal, which governments recommitted to at COP26 in Glasgow at the end of 2021, is to limit the average global temperature increase by the end of the century to no more than 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels. In order to achieve this target, it is considered crucial that GHG emissions be reduced by 55% by 2050.

What is energy transition?

The most powerful tool at our disposal in our efforts to achieve this target is energy transition. This increasingly common term refers to the urgently required comprehensive overhaul of our current energy system, powered by the burning of fossil fuels and intensive energy production in large, grid-connected facilities, and the creation of a new model centred on the use of renewable energy sources, electrification and distributed generation.

Although energy transition is a slow process which demands extensive changes to both energy production and distribution processes and consumption patterns, this process is already underway in many places and socially conscious companies are increasingly choosing to make changes and take action, moving on from theory to practice. We are part of this group.

We are one hundred percent committed to this structural change and our commitment is not merely theoretical; we put it into practice by doing our utmost to ensure that the measures necessary to carry out this transition which are within our reach are implemented as quickly and effectively as possible.

The way forward for energy transition

The five cornerstones of energy transition:

1- Renewable energy sources and energy carriers

In order to meet demand as coal-fired power plants are closed, the proportion of our energy which comes from renewable sources needs to increase; production capacity is far greater than what we currently generate. But many of these sources are unreliable, meaning that we can’t control the energy generated as we would like to. In order to ensure the security of the grid, these sources must be complemented by some kind of technology which allows energy to be stored for gradual release as needed. These technologies are called energy carriers, and hydrogen is increasingly important to those which currently exist.

2- Natural gas

The road to all of our energy demands being met by renewable sources will be slow and painstaking, and alternative means of generating energy are needed as we carry out the process. This is why natural gas plays an important role in our energy transition strategies. Although it is a fossil fuel, natural gas emits 40-50% less CO2 than coal and 25-30% less than fuel oil, meaning replacing these with gas results in a considerable reduction in GHG emissions.

3- Mobility

In Spain, transport is not only the sector with the highest energy consumption, it is also the least diversified in terms of energy sources, depending almost exclusively on petroleum products. Moreover, it is one of the largest sources of pollution from combustion gases in cities, greatly affecting air quality. A sustainable mobility strategy is therefore essential to the energy transition.

One obvious solution is to increase the use of electric vehicles. Among the advantages of this form of transport are the lack of direct CO2 emissions and the reduced impact on people’s health, since electric vehicles do not emit exhaust fumes.

4- Digitalisation and energy efficiency

The digitalisation of energy at each and every stage of the process, from production through to transport, distribution and final consumption, will improve traditional business models by enhancing the value of the enormous amount of information available to companies and helping them anticipate new trends.

For example, big data analytics, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, all of which rely on data and autonomous learning algorithms, allow us to monitor and manage power generation at numerous production sites, thereby making it possible to identify anomalies in real time and reduce repair times.

5- The circular economy

Our current economic system is based on the linear ‘take-make-waste’ model in which products have a finite life cycle after which they must be replaced. This generates an enormous amount of trash. In contrast, the circular economy is based on the maxim of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ and is aimed at achieving long-term sustainability by reducing the volume of trash and keeping goods in the production cycle for as long as possible. Simply put, this approach seeks to achieve more with less.

A shift in our economic system towards a circular economy would not only reduce the environmental impact of waste by reusing it as new raw material but would also lead to improved efficiency in production processes and a reduction of associated emissions.

The Genesal Energy plan

We have developed our own Energy Transition Plan as part of our commitment to sustainability, the 2030 Agenda and clean energy. So, what does this plan consist of? It is a set of short, medium and long-term measures aimed at changing the way we do things at the corporate, production and industry levels.

We want to contribute to improving society; the implementation of more sustainable and efficient solutions in our product manufacturing processes is one of the cornerstones of this strategy, but it is not the only one.

As prominent champions of the energy transition, we lead by example. As part of our business strategy, we have engaged in a process of identifying and prioritising 11 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is one of our contributions to advancing the 2030 Agenda, but not the only one.

Our search for more efficient energy solutions includes concrete actions such as accelerating the transition from diesel to gas, improving energy efficiency, promoting hybridisation with renewable energy sources and energy storage, and committing to innovation and the digitalisation of energy.

More research

Research and education are essential components of our Energy Transition Plan, which is why we have created, in collaboration with the University of Santiago de Compostela, the USC-Genesal Energy Faculty of Energy Transition. The specialised faculty is the first of its kind in Galicia.

The goal of the faculty is to promote research and support education and the diffusion of knowledge in the field of energy transition, particularly those areas focused on distributed energy systems. Its remit includes developing self-sustaining distributed energy grid technologies and systems based on zero carbon fuels, analysis of energy transition processes and the eco-design of distributed energy generation systems.

Action at the industry level and the corporate level

Our plan outlines actions to be taken at both the industry and corporate levels.

As part of the distributed energy industry, the company is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to participate in associations which encourage leading Spanish and international companies specialising in generator sets to share their experience and knowledge; as part of this policy, we have become members of EuropGen, Cluergal and Viratec, the Galician Cluster of Environmental Solutions and Circular Economy.

At the corporate level, we have obtained Carbon Footprint Calculation certification, reflecting our commitment to SDG 13 (on climate action).

Goals and results

Our Energy Transition Plan aspires to more than instigating change at the industry and corporate levels, however: we want to contribute to changing the world, starting with ensuring we are a socially conscious company.

Our most recent efforts in this regard include the installation of a photovoltaic roof at our headquarters in Bergondo, A Coruña, and reducing the fuel consumption of our vehicle fleet by 16%.

The quantity of fossil fuels consumed by our vehicle fleet decreased from 2377.75 litres per million euros invoiced in 2019 to 2005.4 l/M€ in 2021; this represents a 16% drop in fuel consumption, reflecting our understanding that the cleanest energy is that which is not consumed.

Building an emissions-neutral future is a team effort; we are all protagonists of change. At Genesal Energy we are committed to the planet and the environment, and to implementing the strategy laid out in our Energy Transition Plan in line with United Nations SDG 13.

To summarise, the Genesal Energy Energy Transition Plan is based around three core objectives, each of which involve taking concrete action:

Complete the transition to a sustainable energy model.

A1. Reduce energy consumption at company facilities and increase the use of renewables by installing a photovoltaic self-consumption system.
A2. educe dependence on oil by speeding the transition from diesel to gas and implementing a sustainable mobility strategy.
A3. Increase energy efficiency in all areas of the company through digitalisation.

Reduce our carbon footprint

This involves making steady progress on the path to emissions neutrality; key to this objective is keeping a record of the emissions generated in the course of our commercial activities.

At Genesal Energy, we have already taken important steps along this path: we have been calculating the Scope 1 and 2 emissions which contribute to our carbon footprint since 2019, and our CF calculation will improve when we add Scope 3. In the meantime we will continue to work on strategies to reduce and offset our emissions.

Mainstream climate action

A5. Contribute to mitigating the impact of economic growth on the environment by optimising the use and reuse of outflows and waste.
A6. Fight energy poverty. At Genesal Energy we are committed to all aspects of the energy transition, including our social responsibility. As part of this responsibility, we are working on a plan to provide energy to vulnerable families free of charge.

New photovoltaic roof

/in /by

We cannot put an end to the CO2 emissions of the entire planet, but we can do everything we can to limit emissions in our facilities. We have installed 126 photovoltaic panels on the roof of our headquarters in Bergondo, A Coruña.

The work is part of the first phase of our OGGY energy management project, and during phase 2 we will continue with the installation of photovoltaic facades. With a total power rating of 57.33kW, the 126 panels are key to our sustainability efforts: they will reduce our CO2 emissions by more than 20 tonnes per year.

Integration with the OGGY system is through MODBUS communication, which is essential in order for the system to be able to properly manage both the generation and consumption points and use the battery storage module to ensure a highly efficient energy supply to all our facilities.

We would like to thank Avanza for processing the subsidies, installing the panels and launching the system. We are making steady progress with our energy transition plan, little by little and step by step.

Installation of photovoltaic façades at our facilities

/in /by

In keeping with our commitment to sustainability and the goals laid out in the 2030 Agenda, we have begun installation of two photovoltaic facades at our headquarters in Bergondo. The project will stimulate innovation and will have a contribute directly to our pursuit of 6 of the 17 SDGs.

The initiative is part of the OGGY project, our roadmap to energy self-sufficiency. This ambitious project consists of 93 photovoltaic glass panels with eight different modulations to match the facades’ design. The total power rating will be 13.1 kW, allowing us to generate 11,000 kWh per year. The benefits of the new facades are clear:

  • The project will result in an increase in energy efficiency of up to 30%.
  • The facades will help us become energy self-sufficient, in line with EU goals; for years European legislation has sought to encourage self-consumption and the use of renewable energy.
  • Photovoltaic façades reduce cooling requirements by up to 50% compared to standard façades, which means less need for air conditioning in buildings.
  • The building-integrated photovoltaics we have chosen are ideal for increasing the comfort of workers and visitors, as they filter harmful solar radiation without obstructing the passage of natural light.
  • The facade will enable us to reduce our GHG emissions and thus our corporate carbon footprint.

Implementation of the OGGY energy management system

/in /by

We recently launched OGGY (Off-Grid Genesal energY), our company energy management system. When put into operation in conjunction with certain other systems currently in development, it will open the door to Genesal becoming energy self-sufficient.

OGGY is an energy management system which uses a control algorithm to allow us to store energy from different sources in an array of storage systems for later use, opening up the possibility of becoming independent from the grid supply. It also allows us to monitor in real time both the energy production and the demand of the factory itself as well as our offices, air conditioning system and electric vehicle chargers, among others, enabling us to adjust our energy mix to ensure an optimal balance at all times.

The most important component of the system is the energy management algorithm, which allows us to monitor our energy generation and consumption points in order to ensure optimal use of energy from storage at all times through intelligent storage. The system control algorithm continuously analyses the status of our energy generation, storage, and consumption and makes use of the predictions generated in factory testing to optimise system settings at all times.

Our energy production points are:

  • The test bench where we test each and every one of the generator sets we manufacture.
  • Our solar panel array on the roof of bay B27, which has 126 panels totalling 57 kW.
  • The photovoltaic glass on the facade of bays B28 and B27, which consists of 93 panels totalling 13.1 kW.
  • The back-up network in case of system failure.

Our storage systems are:

  • A lithium-ion battery rack (phase 1); 14 modules providing a total of 92 kWh of power./li>
  • Generation of green hydrogen for storage (phase 2).

The consumers in this case are:

  • Our own facilities in bays B28 and B27.