Decarbonisation: what it is and where we are going
Climate change, drought, energy transition and decarbonisation are very topical issues that are now part of our daily lives.
We hear about them everywhere: on television, in newspapers, online.
These issues are strongly linked to each other: the current climate change urges us to find more sustainable solutions that allow us to safeguard the environment and protect our survival on the planet.
These solutions must be applied also in industrial and energy sectors.
The energy sector, in fact, according to data released by the European Union, is the main responsible for the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere, contributing for the 77.01% of the total.
Next is the agriculture sector, emitting the 10.55% and 9.10% for industrial processes and the use of products, respectively. Waste treatment covers the last position with the 3.32% of the total emissions.
This means that, in order to reduce pollutant emissions into the atmosphere and to combat climate change, short-term action in energy production is needed, focusing on more sustainable solutions that gradually eliminate the use of fossil fuels, including coal, oil and gas.
The ongoing energy transition, which aims to develop cleaner and more eco-friendly energy, is leading the most important institutions, including the European Union, towards decarbonisation.
What is decarbonization?
Decarbonisation consists in the commitment to reduce as much as possible the harmful emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), both in industrial and home sectors, through the use of renewable energy sources.
The goal is therefore to reduce over time the ratio between the greenhouse gas emissions of each country and the amount of energy consumed in the same period of time.
In order to achieve this result, it is possible to choose to use fossil fuels in very small quantities, preferring the use of natural gas instead of coal, or decide to definitively replace the fossil production sources with renewable ones including biomass, photovoltaics and wind, as the European Commission has decided to proceed by implementing the European Green Deal..
What is the target of the European Green Deal?
The objective of the European Green Deal is to make the European Union the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050.
Europe is trying to adopt a series of climate, energy, transport and taxation measures to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
In order to achieve this, it is important to go and implement all those natural solutions useful to absorb the CO2 emitted and reduce emissions as much as possible.
One of the objectives of the Green Deal is to plant 3 billion new trees throughout the EU by 2030.
The first continent to achieve zero climate impact
55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
3 billion trees planted in the EU by 2030
The role of Italy and SMEs
The Italian target regarding decarbonisation is to reduce by 33% the polluting emissions by 2030 compared to those of 2005.
From a study developed by the CNA (Italian National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises) 60% of CO2 emissions from manufacturing and construction sector is attributable to small and medium-sized enterprises.
For this reason, in recent years, to keep up with the change and the energy transition underway, one company out of two has started to focus on green energy and 86% have performed at least an energy efficiency intervention.
What are the advantages of the Green Deal and decarbonisation?
Among the main advantages of the Green Deal, as stated by the European Commission, there are:
- clean air and water and consequently healthy soil and increased biodiversity
- renovated and energy efficient buildings with zero polluting emissions
- healthier foods and longer-lasting products that can be repaired, recycled and reused
- greener, less polluting public transport
- cleaner and eco-friendly energy
- jobs and training adapted to the future needs of the ecological transition focused on environmental sustainability
- a more aware and therefore more competitive and resilient industry
The main advantage of decarbonisation is to become completely independent of fossil fuels and become climate neutral by 2050.
What does climate neutrality mean?
Climate neutrality consists in achieving a balance between emissions and the absorption of greenhouse gases, mainly by reducing their generation, pursuing their capture through natural wells such as soil, forests, oceans and promoting cross-sectoral compensation.
Among the renewable energy sources that are being considered to achieve decarbonisation and become carbon free are:
wind to produce wind energy, sun to produce solar and photovoltaic energy, geothermal resources of which the Earth is rich, water to create electricity from the wave motion of the sea and to create hydrogen.
The choice of hydrogen
The energy transition is encouraging the development of energy solutions through the use of hydrogen, which is not a source of energy as many believe, but consists of an energy carrier which, if obtained through the use of renewable sources, it’s 100% green.
Hydrogen will also become part of the industrial heating sector and not only, in fact it allows to store and supply large amounts of energy without generating CO2 emissions.
For this reason, Europe has defined it as “an essential element to support the European Union’s commitment to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and sustain the global efforts to implement the Paris Agreement, while pursuing the zero pollution objective”.
Carlieuklima and hydrogen
Carlieuklima has always been committed to creating industrial heating and cooling solutions in step with the times and with a view to sustainability and environmental protection.
For this reason, the Research and Development Department in recent months is committed to carrying out all the necessary tests to make EUCERK radiant heating systems ready to use this precious resource.
Want to know if EUCERK can run on hydrogen? Keep following us to find out.