Nicolai Schaaf, Sustainability Manager at Kanthal, accepts the E-prize

The jury's motivation read: With a 90-year-old invention combined with a modern and innovative approach, this year’s winner is paving the way for a fossil-free industry through the electrification of high-temperature processes. Natural gas is replaced with efficient electric heating in industrial applications, enabling fossil-free production processes that improve both the environment and working conditions. The company is a global pioneer and a key player in sustainable industrial electrification, contributing to the production of fossil-free steel and the sustainable manufacturing of solar cells and batteries. 

Robert Ståhl, President of Kanthal”We are very proud that the jury chose us and our technology for this prize. With our technology, industries around the world such as steel, battery, semiconductor and glass can use electricity instead of fossil fuels for their industrial heating processes, which can contribute to major emission savings in global industry. The technology has a 100-year legacy of innovative development and is more relevant than ever. There is a large potential, and more and more industries are making use of it,” says Robert Ståhl, President of Kanthal. 

"The greatest opportunities of the energy transition are still ahead of us. It is necessary to level up in both temperature and scale and find completely new solutions for industries such as steel and cement. In addition, our products themselves have become a huge lever for this transition: Not only do they reduce the emissions of the customers – they also contribute to the expansion and improved management of fossil-free electricity,” says Nicolai Schaaf, sustainability manager at Kanthal. 

Kanthal's products enable the electrification of various industrial processes that require high temperatures. By replacing fossil fuels with electricity, companies can increase efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions – or eliminate them entirely if fossil-free electricity is used. The technology has its roots in a 93-year-old innovation, but with the world's focus on climate change and the need to phase out fossil fuels the solutions can now reach their full potential. 

Industrial heating processes are found in all manufacturing industries such as steel, aluminum, glass and cement and today are mostly powered by burning fossil fuels. These processes are invisible to the consumers but account for around 10% of the world's total CO2 emissions and 75% of Europe's industrial CO2 emissions. In addition to reducing emissions in various industries, Kanthal's heating solutions are also crucial components in the manufacture of advanced solar cells, semiconductors and batteries.