Technology can create the path to a sustainable future

Accelerating the deployment of efficient technology is the key to decarbonisation

 

There are no easy solutions to the climate change challenges we face today. However, we do have technologies that are already moving us in the right direction, and it is our responsibility to accelerate their deployment.

 

Here are four approaches focused on industrial electric motors that I believe will serve as major stepping stones on the journey to sustainability and Net Zero.  

 

Energy efficiency: technology available today

Greater efficiency is a clear decarbonisation win. Using less energy will increase our energy security, help bring down prices and reduce our carbon footprint. We are already seeing the impact of current EU Ecodesign and energy labelling rules, for example. They are delivering a 10 per cent annual reduction in energy consumption by the affected products – equivalent to Poland’s annual energy consumption.

 

However, we can go much further on efficiency. For example, industrial motors currently use 45 per cent of the world’s electricity. When it comes to improving efficiency, the focus has tended to be on smaller motors. Yet we shouldn’t forget about large industrial motors. Because although fewer than 1 per cent of electric motors are classed as “large”, they account for 23 per cent of all the electricity consumed by motors globally.  

 

Studies have shown that for a 20-megawatt (MW) motor and drive package, it is only during its operation that more than 99 per cent of its total lifetime CO₂ emissions are produced. Since a large motor might last up to 25 years, increasing operational efficiency is clearly vital. The larger the motor, the greater the contribution that energy efficiency measures can make.

 

Furthermore, if facilities using large motors switched to top industrial efficiency (TIE) options, they could significantly reduce both their carbon emissions and energy bills throughout the life of the motor. This makes both financial and environmental sense. Fortunately, as we found in our recent global survey, almost all (97 per cent) industrial businesses are investing or plan to invest in improving energy efficiency.

 

Keeping decarbonised power grids stable

 

Decarbonisation is driving the transition toward renewable resources such as wind and solar power while large-scale fossil fuel plants are being decommissioned. There is a downside though, as our existing power plants provide spinning inertia which helps keep electricity grids stable. This is something renewable energy cannot do, so we need to find ways to replace this inertia.

 

One answer is to use synchronous condensers, a technology that is like a cross between a large motor and a generator. Using only a small amount of electricity to keep them spinning, synchronous condensers can be installed at strategic places across power grids where inertia is needed. This solution is currently being deployed in the UK, the Faroe Islands and Australia, among other regions, to help advance the move to renewable power.

 

Producing green hydrogen

 

Hydrogen is creating great excitement as the “fuel of the future”. It produces no greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when burned. We see hydrogen playing a key role in energy transformation with demand increasing by as much as ten times by 2050. This could represent around 18 per cent of final energy demand, removing around six gigatonnes of carbon emissions each year.

 

However, most of the world’s hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuels. This “gray” hydrogen is very far from green. In fact, the process releases 830 megatonnes of CO₂ emissions a year. If the hydrogen industry were a country, it would be the world’s sixth largest emitter. One way to address this is through carbon capture, a process in which drives and motors play a vital role.

 

Hydrogen comes in many other “colours”, including blue, brown and pink. We are currently beginning to decarbonise the process by producing green hydrogen from water using electricity from wind and solar power. This is a special focus for ABB. Furthermore, we have also developed high-efficiency motors and drives that are well suited for compressing gas for transportation. Right now, we are working with a global leader in compressor technology to bring new innovations to the field.

 

Developing a circular economy

 

As a society, we cannot continue to advance with a linear take-make-waste economy. The sustainable alternative is a circular economy, and ABB is committed to making this a reality. By 2030, at least 80 per cent of our products and solutions will be covered by our circularity approach. This includes evaluation against a clear set of key performance indicators corresponding to each stage of the product lifecycle.

 

In partnership with a major recycling company, we are now able to provide end-of-life services for our motors and generators in Northern Europe. A large motor or generator is 98 per cent recyclable, with the remaining 2 per cent of materials incinerated for heat recovery. As we have factories in this region, we can use the recycled material in our new motors.

 

There are sustainable technologies available today that can make a real and immediate difference. What is needed is the vision and commitment to put them into practice – and if industry is going to play its part in reaching a Net Zero future, there is no other option.

 

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By Heikki Vepsäläinen, Division President – Large Motors and Generators, ABB