Getting back to a greener Earth

Earth’s climate record preserved in tree rings, ice cores and coral reefs depicts that global average temperatures have been stable over long periods of time in the distant past. However, today with the growing impact of climate change what scientists had predicted is coming out to be true – with loss of sea ice, unpredictable weather patterns, more intense heat waves, massive cyclones, bushfires and even prolonged drought conditions affecting different parts of the world. As per the UNEP report, 2020 was amongst the warmest years on record globally in the recent times. 

While there is a significant uptick in the measures undertaken by the nations around the world to curb climate change and adopt ways to decarbonize various sectors, that have a direct corelation to the economic growth, there is an added pressure in terms of funding these efforts - as countries also focus more on meeting the on-ground challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Economics of using energy efficient systems play a key role here.    

The power sector contributes the most to the global CO2 emissions accounting for ~41% in contrast to emissions from industry (26%), transport (25%) and others. This scenario also provides a significant opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions in the power sector with new technology. Quite understandably, the top-most priority of any progressive and environment concerned nation is ought to be taking steps to limit the global warming, however, GE believes that each country is at a different point in its decarbonization journey and will prioritize the elements of the trilemma – providing affordable, reliable and sustainable energy differently and eventually making the electric grid stronger.

In the recently released whitepapers by GE Gas Power focused on exploring various pathways that can lead to building the Future of Energy, there is a significant emphasis on using powerful and cost effective ways to combat climate change. 

Today, there is tremendous focus on using Hydrogen (H2) as a source of energy, and growing economies like India are taking the right steps to commence development of a robust H2 value chain comprising of an adequate infrastructure for H2 production, transport, and storage. Despite being the most abundant element in the universe, H2 doesn’t exist on earth as a standalone molecule and must be separated out using specialised procedures like reforming.

GE has proven combustion technology that can operate on blends of hydrogen fuel and natural gas to generate reliable electricity with low or near-zero carbon emissions. In order for the power sector to rapidly decarbonize while maintaining high levels of reliability, pre and post-combustion decarbonization options for gas turbines are available today. For instance, GE has a global experience with more than 75 gas turbines that have (or continue to) operate on fuels that contain hydrogen. This fleet has accumulated more than 6 million operating hours and produced more than 450 Terawatt-hours of electricity. On the other hand, if we talk about the post-combustion side of generating electricity, there are several technology options that can aid in carbon capture. The process of Carbon Capture and Utilization or Sequestration (CCUS) can be applied to both new and existing gas power plants, again avoiding lock-in of CO2 emissions for the life of the power plant. The above processes will require relevant modifications in the system depending upon the type of operating assets and technology being used. 

Whether it’s about using zero carbon or low BTU fuels for electricity generation, and/or deployment of CCUS and measures to reduce emissions of GHG like methane, considerable policy interventions are required to drive targeted efforts and pull investment capital into the energy sector, leading the sustainable transformation of the sector in years to come.

The good news is that this is already happening. Emerging economies that depend on energy-intensive sector are now more sensitive towards directing stimulus packages for the adoption of environment friendly technology. For instance, India has shown improvement in the GSI (Greenness of Stimulus Index) score, data released by Vivid Economics reveals. Going forward, a wider adoption of green industrial policy framework and balancing powering solutions such as RE (Renewable Energy) + Gas Power or other hybrid technology option that have minimal or zero impact on the environment can help India to meet its ambitious yet essential commitment to reduce significant amount of GHG emissions by 2030.