While it may seem like a tall order, reaching net-zero carbon emissions from heavy-duty and heavy-industry transport sectors is feasibly and financially possible by 2050, according to a new report published by the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC). The report, titled \u201cMission Possible,\u201d looks at the possibility of reaching net-zero carbon emission from sectors that might not typically be looked at for such an endeavor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Industries the report took a closer look at included trucking<\/a>, cement, steel, plastics, shipping, and aviation. Added together, these industries represent 30% of all energy emissions today, a number which could rise to 60% by mid-century as other industries lower their carbon footprint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Report Details<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The comprehensive new report was developed with\ncontributions from over 200 industry experts over a 6-month consultation\nperiod. The report\u2019s findings demonstrate that a full net-zero decarbonization\nis technically feasible with current technologies, though there are some that\nhave yet to reach commercial readiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How much would it cost to reach a net-zero emissions level?\nIn what may be surprising to some, not much. The report states that the total\ncost to the global economy would be less than 0.5% of GDP by mid-century and\ncould possibly be even less by 2050, thanks to technological advances in the\nmitigation of carbon-intensive materials. Greater logistics efficiencies and\nmodal shifts could also reduce carbon-intensive transport footprint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The numbers are spelled out in the report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where heavy-duty trucking is concerned, electric trucks and\nbuses, whether powered by battery or hydrogen fuel cells, will likely become\ncost-competitive before 2030. In shipping and aviation, liquid fuels are likely\nto remain the preferred option when it comes to long-distance travel, but there\nis no reason why they cannot be transferred to bio or synthetic fuels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are essentially three steps that must be taken to\nensure that the transition is not onerous:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There has been increasing problems with air pollution in\ncountries around the world, with China and India being two large examples. In\nplaces like these, the decarbonization of heavy industry and heavy-duty transport\nis critical to not only reducing emissions but improving the health and quality\nof life for citizens. State-of-the-art technology and shifts in the way\nbusiness gets done can help make this a reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By more efficiently using materials and increasing recycling\nin a circular economy, primary production emissions can be reduced by as much\nas 40%. Developed countries have the greatest opportunity where reductions in\nplastics and metals are concerned. Yet, to reach full decarbonization, a\nportfolio of technologies and methodologies will need to be employed. The level\nto which this will occur will also vary depending on location and available\nlocal resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking at the\nSpecifics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The specific areas of the economy that the report looked at provided detail into how these changes will be implemented. Direct and indirect electrification using hydrogen as a fuel will play a big role in many sectors of industry and transport. This will lead to a sharp increase in power demand, growth that represents 4 \u2013 6 times the current requirement today of 20,000 TWh and around 100,000 TWh by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is expected that hydrogen use in transport will increase\nby orders of magnitude by 2050. There are two routes this could take. One, is\nthrough electrolysis, which is a method that will dominate in the long term.\nThe others are steam methane reforming and carbon capture and storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bioenergy and bio-feedstock is also expected to play a large\nrole in several sectors, but it will need to be very tightly regulated by state\nand federal governments to ensure there are no adverse environmental impacts,\nsuch as deforestation. Its use should also be focused mainly on priority\nsectors where there are alternatives that are available, but costlier. Examples\nof these would be in aviation and plastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When combined with use or storage, carbon capture technology\nwill be required to capture process emission from cement and may be one of the\nmost cost-competitive methods of decarbonization for sectors in several\nregions. As with bioenergy, this sector will need to be tightly regulated to\nensure safety and permanence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, which industries will present the greatest challenge to\ndecarbonization? The first is plastics, mainly due to end-of-life emissions,\ncement, because of process emissions, and shipping, mainly because the industry\nis quite fragmented and the cost of decarbonization is far higher within this\nmodality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ETC also outlined its support of the objective of\nlimiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius delivered by the IPCC. While the\ncommission openly states that meeting the goal will not be easy, they do send a\nclear signal that it is possible. There are specific policy levers that they\npoint to where progress can be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, a tightening of carbon-intensity mandates on industrial\nprocesses will be required. Heavy-duty transport and the carbon content of\nconsumer products will need to be addressed. Adequate carbon pricing will also\nbe a requirement. This is an area where there is great inconsistency across\ncountries. There will need to be an international agreed-on pricing system,\ndifferentiated by sector and put into place with downstream consumer products\nin mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, governments will need to encourage a broad-based\nshift away from a linear economy to a circular one, mainly through regulation\nand materials efficiency and recycling. There also need to be a greater\ninvestment in green industries, whether through greater support of research and\ndevelopment efforts, deployment support, or a public procurement program that\nsupports greater demand for sustainable products and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, the public\/private collaboration necessary to build\nan entirely new energy and transport infrastructure must be enhanced. We\ncurrently live in a political environment where doing anything on\ninfrastructure is met with extreme difficulty, but that paradigm must change\nfor us to make any progress in moving to a full decarbonization by mid-century.\nTo read the ETC full report on decarbonization by 2050, simply follow this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, both industries, investors, and advocates agree\nand are anticipating a profound transformation in how the transportation sector\noperates. As innovation and investment increase by leaps and bounds, it is only\na matter of time before roadmaps are developed, collaborations are enhanced,\nand projects working towards net-zero carbon emissions reach critical mass. We\ncan see the proof today, just look at companies like FedEx.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FedEx Takes Steps to\nGreater Efficiency<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n FedEx recently announced that they\nimproved fuel efficiency by 2.9% in the fiscal year 2017. This puts them closer\nto reaching their corporate goal of a 50% increase in fuel efficiency by 2025\nover 2005 levels. In 2017, this reduction translated into $51 million in fuel\nsavings and a decrease in 219,714 metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions. The\nnews was released in FedEx\u2019s annual sustainability\nreport<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n FedEx has been working hard to reach its goal, also recently\nannouncing that they reached 37.9% of their goal with eight years remaining.\nThey have been working hard to implement initiatives for fuel-efficient truck\ndriving and investing in technologies that enhance fuel efficiency and decrease\noverall fleet fuel usage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The company has made progress in reaching the goal by\nimplementing a diverse fuel strategy that includes everything from diesel to\npropane autogas and natural gas. Still, the company still reported that\ngasoline emissions and emission from cleaner-burning fuels increased in 2017 as\nthey continued shift in away from diesel for fleet use. As an example, emission\nfrom vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas\nincreased to over 7,600 metric tons in 2017 from only 1,000 metric tons in\n2005. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to diversifying their fuel sources, FedEx has taken delivery on their first fuel cell-powered electric delivery van, which will be used in New York and deployed on a standard delivery route. Called the E-GEN delivery van, the vehicle is powered by a ProGen hydrogen engine and has a range that exceeds 160 miles per delivery cycle. [wp_ad_camp_2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ProGen fuel cell provides a massive increase of 166%\nover standard battery power. During the first six months in operation, the\nvehicle is expected to amass more than 27,000 miles of on-road driving, which\nwill provide an excellent proof-of-concept for the vehicle. The only problem\nwith implementation of vehicles of this type is that it requires a Plug Power\nhydrogen fuels station, which the infrastructure does not exist for currently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, FedEx is not the only company taking these steps. As\nmore companies begin to make transitions like these, expect to see industry\nmove ever-closer to the goal set out by the ETC. Although 2050 may seem like a\nlong time away, time flies. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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