Industrial parks can be built smarter – without straining the power grid

A new potential study shows that future industrial parks could be built in a more resource-efficient way than we are used to. By combining flexible electricity use, smarter business models, and local renewable production, the study indicates that the average power consumption would only increase marginally—even in a larger industrial area. This opens up completely new ways of thinking about sustainable and circular establishments.

The study shows that future industrial establishments can be planned more efficiently than today, without putting additional pressure on an already heavily burdened electricity grid. With flexible processes and better links between production, energy flows, and grid utilization, power requirements can be kept down and energy can be used more where it is needed.

"This is really a story about what happens when you plan an entire industrial environment as a coherent system, rather than as separate operations that all require their own full power peak," says Maria Aronsson, project manager at Innovatum Science Park, who has been involved in developing the study as part of the Fyrbodal for the Future Flexibility project.

A possible future at Brofjorden

The planned industrial park, Preem Tech Park (PTP), has been used as an example as the basis for the study. The park is based on Preem's land at Brofjorden in Lysekil, where assumptions and estimates have been made for activities such as greenhouses, fish farms, slaughterhouses, shared water treatment, and charging for heavy transport. The focus has been on how such activities could interact energetically with existing industry and the local grid.

The surprising result is that the total load on the electricity system could be kept very low. Although the proposed park requires approximately 30 megawatts of peak power, calculations show that the average power in the system increases by approximately 1 megawatt if flexibility and storage are used and local production is utilized.

"We were surprised ourselves at how little the average effect is affected when you look at the big picture. It shows how much can be gained when loads, local production, and residual heat are linked together," says Mikael Niklasson at LEVA in Lysekil, who also wants to emphasize that the work is based on a large number of assumptions.

Local energy provides new opportunities

The Brofjorden area offers good conditions for local energy production. Growing solar power capacity in the area, supplemented by wind power and—perhaps the biggest challenge—possible storage, could create a more even supply of renewable electricity throughout the year. At the same time, activities such as greenhouses and fish farms can provide opportunities to control parts of consumption and thus relieve the grid during periods of high load and low production.

The study uses various scenarios to show that the combination of flexibility solutions and industrial residual heat makes it possible to operate a compact industrial park with a lower total power requirement than new industries normally require. It also reviews assumptions, uncertainties, and areas that need further investigation, such as the capacity of the existing power grid and the role that energy storage could play.

It also shows how modern establishments can benefit from both circular resources and smarter management, and points out that major industrial investments do not necessarily entail extensive network expansion.

Encourage more people to take the next step

The study was conducted as part of the Fyrbodal for the future of flexibility and shows how increased flexibility in electricity use can contribute to more sustainable industrial establishments.

“Overall, the potential study paints a completely different picture of future industrial expansion than the traditional one. Instead of asking whether we have room in the grid, we can start asking how we can create industrial parks that use the grid more intelligently,” concludes Maria Aronsson.