Over a century ago, glass furnaces were fired with coal or oil, fed by manual levers, and tuned by eye. Regenerative furnaces—cutting-edge at the time—recycled heat through checker-brick chambers. Furnace operators adjusted valves by feel, reading the flame’s behavior like a sailor might read the wind. And through it all, the core physics of glass melting stayed the same: fire in, product out.
In 1907, the glass industry began using electrical heat. Initially deployed in specialty segments, it improved flexibility, quality, and emissions, but adoption was gradual and often isolated. Over time, it evolved: improved Molybdenum electrodes, more precise control systems, and growing confidence in the potential of electrified melting.
Today, with decarbonization pressures mounting and digital tools becoming more sophisticated, electrification is no longer niche but is becoming central. According to IEA and Glass for Europe, the flat glass sector alone emits about 5.8 million tons of CO₂ annually. While it’s a smaller share of total EU emissions, flat glass production remains one of the most energy-intensive industrial processes. Meeting climate commitments means scaling what was once specialized into something following a system-wide approach.
However, this shift is more than changing a heat source—it’s about modernizing the broader furnace ecosystem. Success now requires a system-wide perspective that unifies and optimizes energy delivery, thermal behavior, and digital intelligence. Beyond reducing emissions, this is about preserving product quality, building resilience, and designing flexibility into a rapidly shifting New Energy Landscape (NEL). The companies that succeed will be those who can navigate the integration of power and process without losing sight of improving performance and reducing costs.
The need for intelligent integration
What’s changing today isn’t the existence of electric melting—it’s the environment around it. Decarbonization goals, fluctuating energy costs, and increased customer scrutiny are forcing the industry to think systemically. Electric heating is no longer a bolt-on enhancement or niche solution; its design is rapidly becoming the foundation of next-generation furnace strategies.
However, success requires more than swapping molecules for electrons. Electrified melting at scale introduces new thermal dynamics, infrastructure demands, and process constraints. Navigating that complexity requires an integrated approach that aligns electrical infrastructure, process control, and system modeling right from the start. Designing it end-to-end with process OEMS and technology partners is an imperative.
This integrated perspective is built on several key capabilities:
- Grid-aware electrical systems that are designed to meet high thermal demand while minimizing grid stress and energy losses
- Advanced process control to maintain thermal balance and production stability
- High-fidelity modeling that allows systems to be virtually tested and refined both pre-commissioning and during their lifetime
- Real-time intelligence to provide predictive insights and operational adaptability
- Site-specific consultation, because what works in one facility rarely transfers directly to another
Integration is how electrification becomes scalable, reliable, and aligned with broader business goals, from energy performance to long-term competitiveness.
Modeling: Translating intuition into intelligence
As electrification scales, so do the challenges that come with it. Electric furnaces behave differently from combustion-based systems, especially in larger format, high-throughput applications. Some industry voices are exploring whether future strategies may favor modular or downscaled designs to better manage thermal dynamics and energy loads. This shift can feel like losing a language for an industry accustomed to tuning by feel and reacting to flame behavior. The instincts that once ensured consistency don’t always translate when the thermal landscape changes.
This is where modeling across various disciplines plays a critical role. It’s not about replacing experience—it’s about recreating confidence. High-fidelity furnace models now accurately simulate energy flow, thermal gradients, and electrode behavior. More advanced models also include production control and optimization. This is not achieved by static design documents, but by dynamic tools built on physics-based calculations and enriched with historical process data.
When paired with artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced tuning algorithms, modeling becomes an active part of operations from the moment the furnace starts up to help:
- Guide design decisions
- Minimize commissioning risk
- Enable continuous optimization
- Shorten learning curves
- Reduce trial and error
- Allow glassmakers to scale electrification without sacrificing their control philosophy and product quality goals.
In many ways, modeling is how the industry bridges the gap between traditional intuition and these new thermal realities. It’s not just about achieving operational precision, but also having the ability to confidently move forward with investments required to scale this new pathway for your facility.
Power meets process—and people
For electrification to succeed at scale, it must function as a fully integrated system. That’s not a new idea—power and process have always been connected—but today’s complexity demands deeper integration, coordination, and optimization. Electrified melting introduces new requirements across electrical infrastructure in front and behind the fence, thermal control, digital modeling, and dynamic grid interaction. Aligning these elements takes more than components; it takes orchestration.
Grid constraints, legacy systems, product sensitivities, and cost structures vary widely. Successful programs are increasingly built around collaboration—multidisciplinary teams, vendor partnerships, and site-specific strategies that adapt to each facility’s needs.
The emphasis is shifting from proprietary systems to coordinated ecosystems that are flexible, resilient, digital, and engineered to evolve with the energy landscape. Organizations like Schneider Electric are helping to drive this shift, bringing together expertise across power, process, and digital integration to support the next generation of furnace design.
The furnace reimagined
The electrified furnace isn’t a new concept, but the expectations around it are. What began as a niche solution in specialty glass applications is now being called upon to serve as the foundation for large-scale, decarbonized glass production. As the energy landscape shifts and digital technologies mature, the furnace is being reimagined not as a stand-alone asset but as part of a connected, intelligent ecosystem.
Every evolution brings new challenges, but also new options and tools. With integrated modeling, adaptive control systems, and site-specific strategies, manufacturers can confidently scale electrification, design for flexibility, and build resilience into every system layer. Even costs can be reduced through the efficiency gains achieved by moving from gas molecules to electrons.
The path to electrification isn’t linear, but it starts with a question: What’s right for your site, product, and energy reality? Further, it requires identifying and covering knowledge gaps and making the best decision for your facility.
Find out more about how you can navigate the path to low-carbon glass.
Add a comment