Decarbonization Technologies – Reducing Carbon Footprint for a Low Carbon Economy

Decarbonization Technologies: Today, a variety of sectors – such as industrial, residential and transportation – rely largely on fossil fuels, i.e. the combustion of fuels such as coal, oil, or gas. With the use of alternative fuels, industries can reduce the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere as well as slow the effects of climate change. As CO2 acts as a greenhouse gas, it traps heat and contributes to global warming. In this article, we will be focusing on the importance of decarbonization and some technologies that we can use to realize this. 

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• Decarbonisation technologies that improve efficiency across key sectors will have the greatest impact on urban decarbonization. 
• These technologies can also lower GHG emissions via several means.
• By using these technologies, job opportunities are created, energy costs go down for residents, and quality of life is improved.

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What is Decarbonization?

Decarbonisation involves reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by human activities, eventually eliminating them. With the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries agreed to keep global warming well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C – including achieving net carbon neutrality by 2050. For a zero-emissions society to become a reality, fossil fuels must be replaced by alternative low-carbon energy sources. And that is what Decarbonisation is all about.

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Why Target Carbon Dioxide?

CO2 is the most common greenhouse gas contributing to global warming that is emitted through human activities. As part of the Earth’s carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is naturally present in the atmosphere as it circulates in the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants, and animals. 

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. Some of these gases are – Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Fluorinated gases etc.

Carbon cycling is being altered by human activities-both by adding CO2 to the atmosphere, as well as by affecting the ability of natural sinks, such as forests and soils, to remove and store CO2. Although CO2 emissions are derived from many natural sources, human-related emissions are responsible for the increased level of CO2 in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. 

Now let’s check some of the trending decarbonization techniques that show signs of future success.

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Best Decarbonization Technologies – The Future is Here!

In order for decarbonisation to be widely adopted as a method to combat climate change, structural economic changes are needed. Investment in alternative energies allows for more decarbonization, which creates a multitude of jobs and stimulates the economy in a long-term way. Let’s check some of the latest decarbonization technologies.

Building Automation Systems

The Building Automation System (BAS) monitors and adjusts various systems (e.g. lighting) to maximize efficiency, particularly in terms of energy consumption. This is a nascent yet likely-looking way to promote the low-carbon economy.

Digital Twins

It is a digital representation of a real-world physical object, process, or service that uses real-time data flows and machine learning to evaluate a physical object not only today but also in the future.

This technology can also be used to make construction and building operations more efficient and sustainable, in addition to reducing energy consumption. The technology could be susceptible to cyber attacks as well as data quality and interoperability issues. Its initial costs and maintenance are also high.

High-Efficiency Heat Pumps

In a heat pump, heat is extracted from the air or ground and transferred either outdoors to cool buildings or indoors for heating. This decarbonization technology allows for a huge annual carbon footprint reduction. In order to properly maintain a building’s temperature, installing heat pumps is one of the most important things to consider.

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Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete Alternatives

As the second most used substance in the world after water, cement is the largest manufactured product in the world by mass. Cement emits 622 kg of CO2 per tonne or 8% of global emissions.

There is an alternative to this problem as well in Decarbonization Technologies. The most commonly used cement, Portland cement, can be replaced with low-carbon cement and concrete alternatives. A shortage of supply chain awareness and a lack of motivation for change are the biggest challenges facing products already on the market.

District Heating and Cooling

District heating and cooling systems distribute hot and cold water through underground piping to multiple buildings via a central plant. By reducing temperature-control-related energy consumption, the system has the potential to reduce carbon emissions at the system level.

Unified Communications

The role of technology in decarbonization is huge and its perfect example is integrated communication systems. The term “unified communications” refers to a set of equipment, software and services designed to provide multiple communication channels within and between companies, including voice, video, personal and team messaging, voice mail, and content sharing, accessed via a single integrated user interface. As a result of Unified Communications, Work From Home and mobile working can help reduce carbon emissions. Whilst WFH reduces emissions from traveling to work, it may increase emissions in buildings if homes need to be heated or cooled more than usual.

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Smart Grids / Smart Meters

In the case of smart grids, technology is used to enhance the communication, automation, and connectivity of various bits and pieces of the energy grid. Smart meters are used to collect data on energy use and help power plants better anticipate and respond to peak demand periods. As a result of smart grids, it is possible to integrate large-scale renewable energy systems, thereby reducing the overall CO2 emissions of the electricity grid.

Waste Robotics

By using artificial intelligence (AI), waste robotics sort recyclables, such as used phones and electronic equipment. By automating the recycling process and reducing the margin for error, waste robotics can reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by up to 75%. This can lead to more items being recycled or reused in the circular economy, reducing emissions from replacing virgin materials.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS)

Transport technologies such as MaaS are promising decarbonisation technologies. Transport systems are at the heart of urban life, from large sprawling megacities to small towns. Globally, transport accounts for one-fifth of CO2 emissions, and in high-income countries, it can be the largest portion of an individual’s carbon footprint. MaaS integrates traditional public transportation with private modes of transportation (like cabs or car rentals) as well as newer mobility technologies (like ride-sharing and e-scooters), allowing users to travel door-to-door with a single interface.

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Vehicle to Grid Technologies (V2G) for Electric Vehicles (EVs)

A V2G enables EV batteries to be recharged and discharged into a power grid, thereby converting them into storage units for wider use across an energy grid. Decarbonization technologies such as V2G could create an additional revenue stream for owners of electric fleets, incentivizing them to go electric. 

Due to the increasing prevalence of renewable energy sources, balancing supply and demand has become more difficult. Some of these sources cannot be controlled by suppliers, but are dependent on weather patterns (wind, sunshine etc.). Storage becomes more crucial in this context. At peak times when energy demand is high, energy from a fully charged cars battery could be fed into the grid to support grid balancing and reduce the grid’s reliance on carbon-intensive sources of energy. Cars would be charged when there is a low demand or when green energy production exceeds demand due to excess production.

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)

To drive autonomously, AVs rely on artificial intelligence, including machine learning and computer-vision algorithms as well as sensors like Lidar. Not only do electric AVs utilize electric batteries, but their autonomous nature means that there is less waste in the battery usage (even compared to a regular electric car). In a normal electric vehicle, during acceleration, braking, or re-accelerating excessively, a lot of battery power is used. These things will not happen in an autonomous vehicle.

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Hydrogen Vehicles

Hydrogen fuels hydrogen vehicles and this fuel may be produced from renewable sources like solar and wind – green hydrogen – or from fossil fuels. In comparison with standard battery-powered EVs, hydrogen-powered vehicles are better suited for long-haul routes because heavier batteries would be required.

Decarbonization Technologies – Conclusion

All these decarbonisation technologies or green technologies have a strong potential to reduce the carbon footprint from a large margin, furthermore, there are some additional benefits as well such as clean air, low energy bills, less commuting cost and new job opportunities. All these technologies require awareness and more than that they need regulatory, policy and financial incentives.

Reference – 

1. The Paris Agreement
2. Greenhouse Gases
3. CO2 Emissions Report

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