Emphatically, the technologies required for the energy transition are available for deployment. The challenge lies in creating the investment conditions required to deploy them at a global scale to minimise anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. It is critical that we deploy these technologies as quickly as possible, but it is also vital to consider technology learning curves. While we have ‘technical readiness levels’ that monitor the progress of technologies through development, we lack a metric for early deployment. With time and market development, the interplay between different technologies will become more efficient, leading to improved investment returns. However, time is running out. For electrification, investment in the supply side means renewable power generation and transmission infrastructure will meet 42% of total electricity demand by 2028. Even then, renewable electricity production will need to triple to satisfy the remaining share of existing demand and new demand arising from the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries, including fuels, chemicals, steel, iron, cement, and other industrial processes. Staying on the demand side, the transport sector requires the market penetration of electrified vehicles. Where feasible, industries are switching to electrical furnaces or new processes that avoid carbon emissions. There is also a push for increased recovery and recycling of materials to reduce the energy demand for the extraction and processing of raw materials. One sector that should not be ignored is the building sector. The very best designs are now net zero homes, incorporating sustainable building materials with greatly improved insulation, mechanical ventilation heat recovery systems, and solar panels. Unfortunately, even in the new housing market, such homes are not the standard. Some are being built as affordable homes, with slightly higher build costs offset by very low operating costs or even a positive income – a rare example of how the energy transition can be fair both socially and economically. However, by 2050, the majority of building stock will still consist of poorly insulated, low-efficiency homes with gas or oil for heating. This is where a move from coal or oil-fired heating to gas, along with better insulation, can reduce overall carbon emissions. We do not have time to wait for the perfect solution. Decarbonising oil and gas production with low-carbon hydrogen, low-carbon fuels, and carbon capture and utilisation can accelerate the decarbonisation of existing transport, industrial processes, and buildings.
Managing Editor Rachel Storry
rachel.storry@emap.com tel +44 (0)7786 136440
Consulting Editor Robin Nelson robin.nelson@ decarbonisationtechnology.com
Editorial Assistant Lisa Harrison lisa.harrison@emap.com
Graphics Peter Harper
Business Development Director Paul Mason info@decarbonisationtechnology.com tel +44 844 5888 771
Managing Director Richard Watts richard.watts@emap.com
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Cover Story ArcelorMittal and LanzaTech’s commercial-scale CCU facility in Ghent, Belgium, with investment from BASF. Courtesy: BASF
Dr Robin Nelson
www.decarbonisationtechnology.com
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