TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
significant insights. And today, the capacity to train machines and algorithms to make sense from all this data is virtually unlimited. Digitalisation is already creating a more
desirable future: a human-centric existence with smart homes, smart buildings, smart manufacturing, smart infrastructure, and smart cities. These innovations use data and digital technologies to help us better share and conserve the resources we are consuming. The second technology, which is probably
less intuitive because it’s been around for many years, is green electricity. Think about solar energy, microgrids, net-zero building, and electric vehicles. Electricity is the only way to decarbonise energy, so be prepared for a world that will be much more electric. But going forward, it's not going to be the same electricity. It’s going to be renewable electricity. The future is green.
A SMART FUTURE: sustainability helps create resilience
Peter Herweck, executive vice president, Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric, explains the importance of digital technology and green electricity...
T
here is no doubt, the global pandemic has forever changed our world perspective, compelling us to re-
examine our vulnerability to natural phenomenon. Many are attributing the pandemic impact
to the combination of urbanisation, globalisation, and people density. Another consequence of those combined realities is increased CO2 emissions and other negative environmental effects. Despite our need to focus on our immediate circumstances, our fundamental priorities have not changed. The main challenge of our generation continues to be climate change. Because behind this wave of COVID-19 is a climate change tsunami heading right for us. The good news is that we are the
generation that came to know about it. We are the generation that can change the trajectory of carbon emissions and, therefore, climate change. At a time when some people
50 FEBRUARY 2021 | PROCESS & CONTROL
view ecology and technology as in opposition to each other, the reality is that technology allows us to bridge progress and sustainability, leading to a stronger resiliency. There are two core technologies helping us to resolve the equation of climate change: digital and electricity. The first technology that is transforming
humanity is digital. Think about the way digital technologies have revolutionised the way we work together and the way we live together. Episode one of the Internet was about connecting people with people. The next episode will be about revolutionising the way we live and connect with our environment. It's going to be about machine to machine and people to machines. This is made possible by the combination of the Internet of Things (IoT), which is connecting everything around us, and Big Data, which is about collecting, aggregating, and analysing large amounts of information in data centers to provide
Four keys to sustainability At Schneider Electric, we’ve been working with many thinktanks and other companies to find the equation that drives us from where we are today to the resilient sustainable future we need. We see four simple variables in the
equation: 1. Digital. We can be much more efficient
everywhere, thanks to digital. By applying digital technology, whether it be smart buildings, smart manufacturing, or smart cities, we can achieve step changes in efficiency from what we are today. 2. Circular. This is about making sure that
everything we do cultivates a more circular economy than the one we have today. 3. Electric. In the coming years, the
proportion of electricity in everything will double. Today, electricity is only about 20 per cent of the energy we consume. In 20 years, it’s going to double to 40 per cent. 4. Renewable. Today, electricity is only six
per cent renewable. Soon, it’s going to be 40 per cent renewable. And it's not about waiting for one of these
variables to happen to start focusing on another one. We must do all of them in parallel. We cannot wait, if we want to tackle climate change, we must implement all those changes now. Both the pandemic crisis and climate
change are primary threats to society. Now more than ever, we need our world to be sustainable. We need humanity to be resilient. And we need to keep focus on accelerating the momentum that was already underway to create a sustainable resilient future. COVID-19 has not changed the
fundamentals. Instead, it has emphasised the need for agility and adaptation. In an economy under pressure, in a fragilised world, it is a call for awareness, efficiency, and sustainability. Every company can do better, and be more sustainable, in the way they do their business.
Schneider Electric
www.se.com
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