Decarbonisation explained
The term decarbonisation arises from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. According to the Oxford dictionary:
“decarbonisation is the process of replacing fossil fuels with fuel that is less harmful to the environment“.
In practice, this means the reduction in the atmosphere of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) output that results from human activity – with the eventual goal of eliminating it. This goal, known as net-zero is achieved when there is a balance between the man-made carbon emissions into the atmosphere and the carbon removed from it. It has become the benchmark against which decarbonisation is measured.
The 2015 Paris Agreement set ambitious goals, including to
“substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to limit the global temperature increase in this century to 2 degrees Celsius while pursuing efforts to limit the increase even further to 1.5 degrees. “
In response, many governments have set targets and made commitments to reducing carbon emissions. Decarbonisation and NetZero have become global imperatives and a key priority for governments, industry and society as a whole, who collectively play a vital role in limiting global warming by reducing their carbon footprint. 1
Australia’s Paris Agreement commitment, as of June 2022, is to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 and to net-zero emissions by 2050. This will be achieved primarily through investment in renewable energy and an increased share in the National Electricity Market to 82% by 2030. Each state has set their own net-zero commitments to contribute to the 2050 target. 2
How do we decarbonise electricity?
In Australia, the energy sector is responsible for more than 80 per cent of emissions, made up of electricity, direct combustion (the use of heat or steam, often to produce steel and cement), transport, and fugitive emissions (any unintended emissions that occur during coal or gas extraction activities). Outside of the energy sector, the rest of Australia’s emissions come from mining, agriculture and waste.
Australia’s decarbonisation target will require a fundamentally different energy system, using alternative energy sources based on renewable energy, green electricity and green molecules (such as solar, wind, biofuels and hydrogen). 3
To decarbonise electricity, a common approach is introducing more zero- or low-carbon emissions generation sources into the grid, including wind, solar and hydropower. For electricity systems with higher emissions intensities, like those with more coal-fired power, reducing the amount of electricity we use also decarbonises the system. This is known as improving energy efficiency. 4
The introduction of solutions to replace older grid-dependant electricity includes renewable stand-alone power systems (SAPS), such as the innovative products developed by Boundary Power.
Boundary Power – Playing our part
Since inception, we have committed to deliver over 200 SAPS into the national energy market. Several of these contracts are with major utility providers, allowing them to use alternative energy sources in remote areas to provide power to the community, eliminating the reliance on grid power from non-renewable energy sources.
Looking to the future, the solutions we provide to the market for alternative energy will play a significant part in assisting large organisations, utilities and other industries to meet decarbonisation targets. Telecommunications, mining and construction companies can benefit from our smaller-scale solutions, for example, to power remote, off-grid mobile stations, to transition fossil fuel generators at water-pump locations, and to provide on-site power to remote camps.
If you’d like to know more about how Boundary Power can help you to reduce your carbon footprint, view our product suite or get in touch, so we can determine the best solution for your energy requirements.
- https://plana.earth/academy/what-does-decarbonisation-mean-companies
- https://www.bdo.com.au/en-au/insights/esg-sustainability/articles/the-decarbonisation-challenge
- https://www2.deloitte.com/
- https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/decarbonisation
- IMAGE credit https://100percentrenewables.com.au/net-zero-leaderboard-states-local-governments-communities-