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New Energy World
New Energy World embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low carbon technologies.
Reinventing heavy industries
7/6/2023
6 min read
Feature
Energy Institute Knowledge Manager Kinga Niemczyk looks at how energy intensive industries and their workforces will play a central role in the decarbonisation of economies around the world.
Images of dense smoke coming from enormous factory chimneys, sparks flying from overheated furnaces, and large carbon footprints often come to mind when we think of energy intensive industries, such as those involving steel, iron, aluminium and chemicals. It is rare to associate these sectors with the production of wind turbines, solar panels, heat pumps, semiconductors, batteries and electric cars.
But paradoxically, both visions are true – energy intensive industries are contributing significantly to the climate change crisis, while at the same time being essential for producing outputs necessary for the net zero future.
Energy intensive industries are crucial for the energy transition, not only because of the importance of their products to the renewables sectors or for the electrification of heat and transport. Due to their central position in economies, their interconnection with the energy system, their reliance on fossil fuels and very high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, delivering net zero targets won’t be achieved at the necessary speed and scale without decarbonised industries.