GUIDELINES FOR AN INTEGRATED ENERGY STRATEGY

Helping companies achieve their sustainable energy objectives

Business cases for low-carbon energy solutions

Decoupling greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from energy use is paramount in the fight against climate change. Organizations are increasingly deploying renewable energy sources like solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbines worldwide to generate zero-carbon electricity. In contrast, there is less progress in decarbonizing heating and cooling in buildings and industry and the transport sector due to high upfront costs and the need to build innovative business models to address this cost barrier.

Nevertheless, various solutions exist for a lower or zero-carbon approach to energy consumption in these sectors. With our member companies, we have developed a portfolio of business cases for low-carbon energy solutions. They present new technologies and explain how to apply them, detail the GHG emissions reductions possible, contain cost information and highlight opportunities for new partnerships across the value chain.

They can also assist financial institutions in assessing investments in new energy solutions. The business cases equally propose opportunities for cross-sectoral partnerships to accelerate the scaling up of low-carbon technologies.

The low-carbon energy solutions presented are available for commercial application today and are ready for scaling for impactful deployment. They include direct electrification solutions such as heat pumps, electric vehicles and shore-to-ship power; renewable solutions such as concentrated solar heat and solar cooling systems; and solutions to improve energy efficiency, such as building energy management systems.

In addition to GHG emissions reductions, these energy solutions offer a range of co-benefits to companies that deploy them and to society overall. This includes reduced air pollution, improved energy security and lower operational costs.

We thank ERM for their contributions to the development of these business cases.

Business cases

Battery electric vehicles

Battery electric vehicles

Light duty vehicles (LDVs) such as passenger cars and vans are responsible for 51% of CO2 emissions from the transport sector (4.8 GtCO2 on a well-to-wheel, or WTW, basis). WTW emissions include emissions in fuel production and transportation, as well as fuel...

Biofuels in shipping

Biofuels in shipping

According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, the shipping sector accounted for 3% (932 MtCO2) of emissions in 2015. The International Energy Agency’s Reference Technology Scenario (a scenario that would result in a 2.7°C temperature increase by...

Building energy management systems

Building energy management systems

Direct and indirect CO2 emissions from buildings account for 28% of energy-related CO2 emissions, according to Towards a zero-emission, efficient, and resilient buildings and construction sector Global Status Report 2017 by UN Environment and the International Energy...

Concentrated solar heat

Concentrated solar heat

CO2 emissions from industry account for 24% of global energy-related CO2 emissions (8.3 GtCO2), according to the International Energy Agency’s Energy Technology Perspectives 2017. Concentrated solar heat (CSH) technologies are a low-carbon solution to meeting medium...

Heat pumps

Heat pumps

According to the International Energy Agency’s Energy Technology Perspectives 2017, CO2 emissions from industry account for 24% of global energy-related CO2 emissions (8.3 GtCO2), while space heating and water heating in buildings are responsible for 6% (2.1 GtCO2)....

Low-carbon microgrids

Low-carbon microgrids

The power sector is responsible for about 40% (13.6 GtCO2) of global energy-related CO2 emissions, according to the International Energy Agency’s Energy Technology Perspectives 2017. Under this report’s Reference Technology Scenario (a scenario that would result in a...

Shore-to-ship power

Shore-to-ship power

An International Transport Forum discussion paper estimates that shipping emissions in ports account for 18 MtCO2, or approximately 2% of total shipping emissions. It expects shipping emissions in ports to grow fourfold by 2050, reaching around 70 MtCO2. Shore-to-ship...

Solar cooling

Solar cooling

According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Future of Cooling report, global cooling-related CO2 emissions total 1.1 GtCO2 or 12% of energy-related emissions from buildings. Under a baseline scenario, the IEA expects CO2 emissions from cooling to almost...

Sustainable aviation fuels

Sustainable aviation fuels

Global CO2 emissions from commercial passenger and freight aviation totaled around 2.5% (918 MtCO2) of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2018 according to the International Council on Clean Transportation Working Paper on CO2 emissions from commercial aviation,...

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