Industry is at the core of developing low-carbon solutions: it is responsible for producing technologies to support decarbonisation of other sectors like power, buildings, and transport.
Therefore, it is imperative to reduce emissions from industrial operations while industry continues to supply transformational infrastructure and technologies. Though the industrial sector (i.e., manufacturing) is large and heterogeneous, the goal of decarbonisation is achievable albeit at a price.
However, a good business case to support decarbonisation is yet to be established. Globally industrial processes, excluding power generation are responsible for one-third of global energy use and 40% of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) emissions1 – eliminating emissions from a hard to abate sector like industry would also go a long way in keeping global rise in temperature below 1.5°C, thereby satisfying the goals of the Paris agreement.
Achieving industrial decarbonisation cost-effectively for society, industry and government is the basis of establishing a good business case. The established pathways to transition the industrial sector to low or net zero consists of several concepts. Historically, the most disruptive products were built through a combination of concepts.
Therefore, industrial decarbonisation is possible through the collective value of several concepts. Key concepts for decarbonising industry (both the processing units and associated energy systems) can be grouped into: Material and Energy Efficiency, Switching to alternative fuels and feedstocks, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
Achieving net zero cost-effectively within an industrial site requires a combination of these concepts hierarchically. Research shows that when several concepts are implemented in an integrated approach radical reduction in CO2 emissions can be achieved at minimal cost.
Furthermore, the potential to marry multiple concepts into an industrial decarbonization system is most likely to occur in most businesses. Material and energy efficiency can achieve incremental reduction in CO2 emissions at least cost compared to steeper measures such as fuel switching and CCS.
Whilst savings in operational costs is possible with material and energy efficiency, steeper measures would most likely be more capital intensive. The hierarchy supports the idea from exhausting least cost pathways. Therefore, innovations in technological systems, where a hierarchy is introduced to these combined concepts can reduce the need for policy interventions to support industrial decarbonisation and create new business models.
Though the industry sector is large and heterogeneous, the goal of decarbonisation is achievable. Cost effective industrial decarbonisation is possible with innovations in technological systems.
Dr. Gbemi Oluleye has spoken at ETR
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