JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #130 - September/October 2019 - 3

EDlTORlAL
N°130 Sept. - Oct. 2019

---56th year

You can't take energy for granted

CEO/Publisher:
Eric Pierrejean

Editorial

By

Editor-in-chief & Media director:
Frédéric Reux - reux@jeccomposites.com
Technical editor:
Aïcha Mikdam - mikdam@jeccomposites.com
Contributors:
Marie-Hélène Corbin - corbin@jeccomposites.com
Franck Glowacz - glowacz@jeccomposites.com
Antoine Morel - morel@jeccomposites.com
Isa Hofmann
Kim-Oanh Truong - kim@jeccomposites.com
Thierry Saint-Martin - saintmartin@jeccomposites.com

Editing & Graphic design
Deputy-editor & Graphic designer:
Antoine Morel - morel@jeccomposites.com
Graphic designer:
Habib Boufetah - boufetah@jeccomposites.com

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Printing: Chirat, Saint-Just-la-Pendue (42), France
Legal registration: ISSN 2678-7024
Dépôt légal : 3 eme trimestre 2019
Photos & illustrations:
All right reserved, unless mentionned.
Paper: Magno Silk, Country of origin: Austria (Gratkorn),
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Tonne): 0.02, Dyes: Vegetable dyes

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Total Average
Qualified Circulation:

49,660 copies
BPA December statement 2018.
Print circulation of 29,590 and
electronic circulation of 20,070

Frédéric Reux

Editor-in-chief
reux@jeccomposites.com

"

The energy sector is vast, and its
confines are not always as precise as
we would like. The figures we have
available become confused with wind
energy, which accounts for 5% in
volume of the 11.4 MT of composites
that are consumed in the different
application sectors. Note that wind
energy is the application sector
with the highest penetration rate for
composites at 67%. A real success.
When we talk about energy, we also
have to consider solar energy, whether
for producing hot water or generating
electricity. Composites are present in
this segment, although they are less
in demand - despite the fact that they
boast many advantages, like corrosion
resistance, low weight, integration
of functions or even, as DAS Energy
proposes, a laminate that integrates
the photovoltaic cells themselves.
Such less impressive performance
should not discourage us from
potentially emerging sectors like
marine current energy or wave energy.
We also have to consider the
transmission of energy and the
related infrastructure, like poles or
the protective sheaths for wiring, for
example. Composites play a big part
in anything to do with insulation. The
scope broadens.
Fossil energy, from extraction to
transformation, also makes extensive
use of composites. The tenders that
help to anchor offshore drilling
platforms are made of carbon
reinforced composite, for example.
Composites are also used for the pipes
and tanks, or for the tanks on boats
that transport compressed natural gas
N°130 September - October 2019 /

(CNG). Gas rhymes with pressure
vessels, a segment that also makes
heavy use of composites.
In addition, if we take the plethora
of hydrogen projects throughout the
world into account, it all promises a rosy
future for composites. The forecasts
are very positive, as Plastic Omnium's
Axel Siefert said at the JEC Forum
Bangkok in early July. Apparently the
volumes are considerable - in the
tens of thousands of tons. A number
of factors (regulatory, economic,
environmental, technological, etc.)
are pushing towards more intensive
production of hydrogen by water
electrolysis, in particular for the
transportation sector.
The energy transition also affects
the aerospace, marine, railway and
automotive sectors. And for storing
hydrogen at pressures of 700 bar,
composites are a must.
We haven't set out to list every
application connected to the energy
field, but we can say that there are
plenty of them! And they are often
identified elsewhere than in the energy
sector itself. If you really look at the
sector in its entirety, the volumes are
much higher than the 5% identified in
wind energy. The reality is certainly
around 10%. It is important to match
the right figures to the application
segments. With 10%, the energy sector
can't be considered as a negligible
quantity. It is a field where composite
materials are doing a lot and have a lot
more to do. Logically, the penetration
rate should rise if we bring the needs
and the composite offering together. A
rosy future indeed!

jec composites magazine

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #130 - September/October 2019

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