My third article for Forbes talks about moving past awareness of climate change and doing something about it. I noted how buildings are one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, so we must address how new and existing buildings use energy. And this is especially urgent if we want to achieve the ambitious 2050 net-zero goal spearheaded by the UN Net Zero Coalition and the World Green Building Council. Similar targets are encouraged by national and international programs, such as the European Green Deal and U.S. initiatives, including the Net-Zero World Initiative and Federal Sustainability Plan.

At Schneider Electric, we believe that the all-electric, all-digital vision of Electricity 4.0 and the push toward cleaner energy sources will be critical parts of building solutions. It's the fastest route to a net-zero carbon world.

But where do you start?

There are a lot of terminologies used by governments, thought leaders, and the media, which can be overwhelming and somewhat confusing.

This post will help clarify some of these points of reference to show how they can help you make decisions on setting a path to net-zero.

What exactly is net-zero?

First, it's good to find common ground with sustainability terminology regarding energy and emissions. Here are two important terms and their meanings:

  • Net-zero carbon - When we talk about net-zero carbon, we focus on reducing building-related carbon during operations. While new buildings can be designed with sustainability in mind, one of the greatest opportunities to reduce emissions lies in existing building stock - 50% of which will still be in use in 2050. The buildings you are operating today can be modernized and renovated to support active measures to reduce carbon, which I'll discuss below. You can also use carbon offsets to balance any remaining emissions to ultimately achieve carbon neutrality.
  • Zero carbon - According to RMI, "Buildings account for at least 39 percent of energy-related global carbon emissions annually. At least one-quarter of these emissions result from embodied carbon or the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials." Beyond your buildings' embodied carbon, achieving a zero carbon footprint also requires evaluating the sustainability of your full value chain of suppliers and partners.
Setting a path to net-zero carbon

So now that you understand the common terms that define energy and emissions targets, how should you prioritize your sustainability objectives and investments?

This is where I will return to Electricity 4.0 and its application to buildings. We need to evolve how we think about buildings and use them. Only by disrupting how buildings have been traditionally designed, powered, and managed will we be able to deliver net-zero energy and net-zero carbon buildings to achieve a carbon-neutral world.

For now, let's think about your existing buildings. They face several challenges directly and indirectly tied to their carbon footprint. So we must look at every aspect of the energy chain, from the energy source to energy use and carbon impact.

First, your buildings may not have the actionable data they need to improve their efficiency and sustainability. You need to digitalize your power and building management infrastructure by taking advantage of the Internet-of-Things, big data, the cloud, and artificial intelligence. These tools will help you establish baseline energy measurements, reveal the best opportunities to reduce energy use, visualize and predict building and occupant needs, automate processes, and validate savings. Ultimately, you'll have a smart building helping you make smarter decisions. This added connectivity should, of course, include top-tier cybersecurity.

Next, take advantage of how electricity makes energy green. It is three to five times more efficient than other energy sources, so it is the best vector for decarbonization. You should also be looking to electrify your building by replacing your current fossil-fuel-based loads like space and water heating.

Then, with an all-electric, all-digital building now operating more efficiently, you can add a renewable-energy-based microgrid that produces enough sustainable energy to offset all energy consumed annually. Green energy from on-site solar and wind-based generation can also cost-effectively supply your electric vehicle charging infrastructure, rather than depending on the utility grid. If you're producing enough onsite energy to become net-positive, you can sell energy back to the grid or surrounding communities to offset operational costs further.

Your microgrid should also include energy storage. This will help you optimize renewable energy consumption, such as when grid energy prices are highest. The stored energy can also boost your facility's resilience by enabling your most critical loads to ride through grid outages due to natural disasters or power quality events like brownouts.

You can also use grid-interactive load management to optimize energy costs. You can also consider using 'green' energy procurement agreements and renewable energy credits to offset your operational carbon.

These digital and electric solutions are game-changers to achieving net-zero carbon. Moving toward zero-carbon will be more challenging, as you will need to additionally offset the embedded carbon of your building. This is easier to achieve with new buildings as they can be designed with low-carbon materials and for low-carbon construction practices. You will also need to work with your suppliers and partner to help them decarbonize. I will talk more about these steps in future posts.

Schneider Electric offers a range of integrated digital energy solutions that can help you achieve net-zero carbon, zero carbon, or even positive energy buildings. Discover more about our vision for Electricity 4.0, Buildings of the Future, and EcoStruxure Buildings solutions.

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Schneider Electric SE published this content on 30 June 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 30 June 2022 21:02:09 UTC.