These three aspects involve
crucial issues such as the
effective management of the energy supply, which must ensure delivery,
reliability, and flexibility in response to changing demand. This is in
addition to ensuring the very survival of mankind in the face of climate
change. All this must be done without leaving anyone behind, achieving
inclusiveness without too much social cost.
Recent data on this last topic shows that achieving
net-zero emissions could eliminate 6 million jobs in Europe between now and
2050. Up to 18 million people could need training and transition support.
Finding the right balance between these elements will
be essential and there is not one simple answer. Not only must we consider all solutions,
but technologies must be evaluated and adopted by taking into account the
entire production chain and not just individual links. It is counterproductive,
for example, to focus on a technology that creates interdependence between
countries in the sourcing of raw materials.
The key is to have a multifaceted view of the
solutions, a view that embraces both the entire supply chain and the
transversality of the possible applications of the technologies we choose to
develop, so that we truly reap the maximum benefits.
The deeper we go into the energy transition, the more
it becomes clear that know-how will be indispensable. Even more fundamental
will be having an industrial ecosystem capable of embracing knowledge across
the entire value chain.
To 'goZERO' has become imperative in order to deliver
a sustainable society for the long term and a viable planet for future
generations. We have to move swiftly to achieve the ambitious goals we
have set to tackle the trilemmas that lie ahead. This can only be done by applying the
overall vision and strategy that has long
distinguished our industry, and which has rightly earned it a reputation for excellence.
Ugo
Salerno
Chairman and CEO, RINA
The energy transition is a
journey which will be
determined by time, policy and technological progress. The voyage must align
with national goals and international commitments, while tapping into mature
technologies which meet the market’s needs in a sustainable fashion.
The path to ‘goZERO’ is a perfect combination of these
three streams.
Operative issues should be resolved in the short term
with mature technologies, relying on energy efficiency, energy saving from
process optimization, and the benefits of digitalization.
Tactical issues have to be addressed on a medium-term
basis with high-TRL technologies, while a long-term strategic plan is built
around the development of new technologies.
The challenge is significant and to achieve higher
decarbonization targets all viable technologies, whether mature or under
development, must be explored and assessed.
Indeed, the destination will not be reached through
the use of a single technology. Phasing out fossil fuels in favor of renewables
and alternative fuels (bio and syn), adopting cleaner energy vectors such as
hydrogen and ammonia, establishing a mature and effective CO2 value chain, both
for utilization and storage, and developing the present and next generation of
nuclear technologies: only a powerful mix of these solutions will achieve full
decarbonization.
Technological progress will be governed by
sustainability targets and objectives, which will push advancement in the
various sectors, whether its power generation or energy storage, transport and
mobility, or manufacturing.
But the value of
technological readiness cannot be underestimated;
sustainability and climate change awareness have started to play a major role
in business. The smart route to energy transition is the deployment of the right
technology at the right time.
While climate change is already affecting our economy
- with both market forces and ethics shaping the path to decarbonization - the
need for sustainability will ultimately determine our choices when it comes to technologies.
We must combine the adoption of mature technologies on
a large scale with continuous research and development into new ones which are suitable
for the long term.
If 'goZERO' is truly our ambition, it is through the avoidance
of greenhouse gases as byproducts of anthropogenic activities that we will
succeed. This will require even more disruptive technologies.
Today the paradigm is to reduce CO2 emissions;
tomorrow it will be to eliminate the production of CO2 altogether.
I would like to thank all the colleagues and our distinguished guests for their valuable
contributions to RINA’s first ever magazine dedicated to the energy transition.
Andrea Bombardi
Executive Vice President Carbon Reduction Excellence, RINA
