What is decarbonization? | Bloom Energy

Without efforts to reduce emissions, our planet is headed toward a 2.7-degree Celsius temperature rise, well above the 1.5-degree threshold. The coal, gas, and oil industries are among the largest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions. When we produce electricity to power our homes and offices, carbon dioxide (along with other harmful gases) is released into the air as a byproduct. Carbon dioxide traps existing heat in the air, so an increase in carbon dioxide leads to an increase in global temperatures.

What contributes to greenhouse gas emissions?

• Generates electricity
• Vehicle refueling
• Heating and cooling of buildings
• Food and goods production

In the case of greenhouse gases, and to achieve decarbonization goals, emissions must be reduced by a staggering 45% over the next 8 years. While electricity production is inevitable and necessary, there are many ways to produce cleaner electricity. Instead of a binary net zero balance that could take decades to achieve, a shift from high carbon intensity production methods to low carbon intensity production methods is equally valuable.

What is decarbonization?

In the face of escalating climate change, deep decarbonization has emerged as a critical strategy for ensuring a sustainable future. But what is decarbonization and why is it so crucial?

“Deep decarbonization means removing a certain amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere as a result of our economic activities.” – Stephen Lamm, Senior Director of Sustainability

This is not just about small changes or incremental changes; deep decarbonisation requires changing the way we produce and consume energy.

Why is deep decarbonization important?

• Climate stability:Global warming has a significant impact on extreme weather events, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions through decarbonization is necessary to stabilize the climate.
• Public health: Reducing the burning of fossil fuels directly addresses the public health crisis.
• Clean energy and electricity: Increasing the share of renewable energy can reduce dependence on fossil fuel markets and greenhouse gas emissions.

What is the role of clean electricity in decarbonisation?

As the economy moves toward a more electrified infrastructure, we find ourselves with growing demand for energy but insufficient supply of clean energy. Rapid demand creates challenges for sustainable energy. Clean energy plays a key role in efforts to reduce carbon emissions because it can power many aspects of the economy. With cleaner decarbonization technology such as electrolyzers, carbon capture, or hydrogen gas, moving away from heavy reliance on fossil fuels will significantly reduce carbon emissions.

How Decarbonization Technology and Strategies Reduce Carbon Emissions

Carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) separates CO₂ from other gases emitted from the facility and captures them before they enter the atmosphere. They are then permanently stored underground or used to manufacture various products, such as concrete. This process is an important part of limiting global warming and climate change.

Electrolyzers are devices that use electricity to separate water and other components through electrolysis. They are primarily used to produce hydrogen, a critical alternative to decarbonizing the energy economy.

The renewable energy transition moves away from fossil fuels and toward low-emission energy carriers such as hydrogen, which will help build a cleaner economy. Strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and policy alignment are three key management approaches that are essential to accelerating the clean energy transition.

Real-life examples of how to successfully achieve decarbonization goals:

Sweden has been a pioneer in environmental protection since 1967, when it was the first country to pass an environmental protection act. Since then, Sweden has not looked back and has managed to develop a sustainable economy while reducing carbon dioxide emissions and having 60% of its energy supply come from renewable sources.

• Goals:
  • 2030: The transport sector will be completely fossil fuel free.
  • 2045: Carbon neutrality and 100% renewable energy.
• Achieved:
  • From 2022, more than 60% of Sweden’s electricity will come from renewable sources, and in 2023 Sweden will be ranked second in the Global Innovation Index.
  • Sustainable policies were implemented with a carbon tax introduced in 1991, which provided a strong economic incentive to reduce emissions

Why collaboration is key: Collaborating with decarbonisation partners

• The influence of politics
  • Industry alliances need to work with governments to establish partnerships in shaping policies to accelerate decarbonization. Sharing knowledge will ensure that implemented policies accurately reflect decarbonization goals.
• Decarbonizing the supply chain
  • Influences across all sectors need to work together to drive market demand for low-carbon solutions across the industrial value chain. This is important to drive companies to integrate low-carbon performance into traditional checklists of criteria such as cost, safety, durability and resilience.

Achieving decarbonisation goals

The Paris Agreement sets the direction for initiatives to decarbonize the planet, which includes more than 98% of greenhouse gas emitters. It promises to aim to stay below the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold and is bound by the treaty. Many companies have already developed low-carbon or even zero-carbon solutions. By 2030, sectors contributing 70% of global emissions could have many zero-carbon solutions.

Over the next decade, much of our economy will be electrified as countries adopt a more sustainable perspective. One of today’s biggest challenges is getting clean energy sources online in a short time frame.

Current projections for the future of decarbonization point to the need for more aggressive policy actions to encourage infrastructure expansion, increased use of hydrogen fuel cells, decarbonization technologies and clean energy sources.

Bloom’s fuel cell technology extracts and recycles hydrogen and water from fuel cell exhaust while separating water vapor and CO2₂ emissions. Captured CO2₂ can be stored or reused for new applications. Our Bloom Energy servers run on hydrogen, biogas or natural gas to generate decarbonization targets or clean electricity.

Bloom provides businesses with access to the most efficient system available from today’s fuel sources, with flexible technology that enables advanced decarbonisation using zero-emission hydrogen.

Decarbonization FAQs

P1 – What is decarbonization?

Decarbonization is the term used to remove or reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere. This process is achieved by switching to low-carbon energy sources.

P2 – Why is decarbonization important?

Decarbonization is key to mitigating the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and extreme weather events. Reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere will benefit human health and is a leading step towards a sustainable future.