France has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. To do so, it must significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its key sectors. Industry is one of the largest emitters. How does the government encourage manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint? How can industrial decarbonization be successfully achieved? This is what we will explore in this article by Powesco.
What is industrial decarbonization?
Industrial decarbonization is a set of measures and actions that reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions related to a company's activities and its sites. The solutions for achieving this are numerous and must be tailored to the specific challenges of each industrial company. One example is replacing equipment powered by fossil fuels (natural gas, oil, coal) with machines that use renewable energy sources (solar, biomass, wind).
What are the greenhouse gas emissions linked to industry?
Industry is one of the sectors that emits the most greenhouse gases in France in 2022, after agriculture and forestry (19%) and transport (32%).
Indeed, according to the Key Climate Figures for France, Europe and the World 2023 published by the Ministry of Ecological Transition:
- 18 % greenhouse gas emissions in France are produced by the manufacturing and construction industry;
- 11 % come from the energy industry.
Furthermore, 81.6% of industrial sector emissions in 2022 came from chemicals, non-metallic minerals and construction materials, ferrous metals metallurgy and agri-food.
However, thanks to national-scale industrial decarbonization, GHG emissions from the industrial sector are declining : in 2022, the manufacturing and construction industry recorded a 6.4% in its CO2 emissions.
What are the challenges of industrial decarbonization?
France has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.To this end, it has implemented a comprehensive roadmap: the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC). This strategy sets limits on greenhouse gas emissions— carbon budgets—which are valid for five years. For the industrial sector, the objective is to reduce market emissions by 81% by 2050 compared to 2015. Industrial decarbonization therefore addresses climate challenges .
That's not all! Industrial decarbonization also helps address other challenges:
- regulatory;
- financiers;
- communication.
Why decarbonize your industry?
Reducing the carbon footprint of your industrial activities is a legal obligation, but it is also an opportunity for your company.
Comply with applicable regulations
Businesses and public sector entities face numerous constraints regarding the reduction of their carbon emissions. For example, companies with more than 500 employees, local authorities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, and public institutions with more than 250 employees are required to conduct a carbon footprint assessment. Industrial decarbonization thus makes it possible to cope with increasingly stringent regulations and even anticipatepotential future measures.
Ensuring energy sovereignty
Industries consume of energy , essential for the proper functioning of machinery and infrastructure. However, this energy supply comes at a cost, and this cost has been steadily increasing since the rise in energy prices in Europe. To reduce the share of this key expenditure item, decarbonization comes into play. It allows for lower bills and less financial vulnerability to risks.
To have a major competitive advantage
Industrial decarbonization involves implementing innovative solutions and disruptive technologiescapable of operating while emitting less carbon dioxide. For example, replacing diesel generators with hydrogen or installing biomass boilers. This equipment, which uses green energy, accelerates the energy transition and enhances companies' employer brand. A real asset for attractiveness and competitiveness!
What technologies can be used to decarbonize industry?
There are many solutions for reducing the carbon footprint of industrial sites:
- reduce energy consumption throughenergy efficiency ;
- use a decarbonized energy source such asgreen hydrogen for chemical or steelmaking processes or biomass to produce high-temperature heat in the food industry or construction;
- electrify its processes by replacing fossil fuel-powered equipment with electric ovens , for example;
- to establish carbon sinks capable of capturing and storing GHGs emitted by petrochemicals, cement or metallurgy or to offset its emissions through reforestation.
How to embark on an industrial decarbonization project?
Industrial decarbonization is a complex process that must be carried out by experts. As a global operator in the energy transition, Powesco is the trusted to decarbonize your operations.
Current status of greenhouse gas emissions
As we mentioned earlier, a carbon footprint assessment is mandatory for certain organizations. However, it is also possible to conduct one on a voluntary basis . Industrial decarbonization always begins with an assessment of the current situation: what quantities of greenhouse gases are emitted by the company? What equipment is responsible for these emissions, and what energy sources does it use?
subsidiary specializing in carbon footprints, Powesco's of identifying the main emission sources, supporting your employees in data collection and calculating the GHG emissions generated by your industrial sites.
Industrial decarbonization strategy
Secondly, the operator proposes a action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which translates into solutions tailored to the company's specific challenges. For example, this might involve focusing on building management systems (BMS) to access data from the building's technical equipment and thus optimize energy consumption. Another option could be to focus on waste heat or the implementation of sustainable mobility solutions.
As a specialist inchange management support, Act4transition designs a project that involves all stakeholders and keeps them continuously informed about the different stages.
Monitoring industrial decarbonization
Finally, industrial decarbonization is a continuous process . It is important to regularly measure the evolution of carbon emissions in order to ensure that performance and previously set objectives are maintained
To do this, Powesco has an energy management system (EMS) which estimates energy consumption in real time, alerts on deviations and advises on corrective actions.
Sources:
https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/documents/18222_SNBC_10-points_A4_oct2020.pdf
https://atee.fr/efficacite-energetique/club-maitrise-de-lenergie/decarbonation-de-lindustrie
