What the European Green Deal means for businesses and the contribution air and energy technology can make.
Last year, Switzerland also decided to become climate-neutral by 2055 – that is, to emit no net CO2 emissions. The European Union provided the model for this endeavor with the Green Deal, which aims to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050. To achieve the goals, numerous measures need to be taken in sectors such as industry, construction, energy, transport, agriculture, and finance. Thus, the Green Deal has far-reaching implications for the economy, politics, and society throughout the European Union.
And although the European Green Deal presents the industry with significant challenges for emission reduction, it is also intended to promote opportunities, innovation, and growth. The central areas of action for the industry are:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: The European Green Deal calls for a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through the use of cleaner technologies and processes and the reduction of fossil fuels.
Energy efficiency: The initiative calls for increasing energy efficiency in buildings and industry and phasing out fossil fuels.
Renewable energy: The Green Deal calls for and promotes the expansion and use of renewable energies.
Circular economy: The initiative aims to avoid and reuse waste.
Transport: Transport should be reduced overall and switched to low-emission or emission-free energy sources or modes of transport.
Promotion of innovation: Development and transition to energy- and resource-saving processes are promoted.
Central challenge for the industry: Energy efficiency
Numerous standards have already been issued in the individual subject areas, and more will follow. One of the central issues for the industry is energy management. Here, air technology offers diverse opportunities for energy savings. And these directly contribute to CO2 savings.
To avoid losing track of everything, a pragmatic approach is necessary: on the one hand, there is the energetic optimization of existing systems, and on the other hand, there is the energy-efficient design of new systems as part of new investments.
1. Energy optimization of existing systems
The lifespan of industrial plants is many years. If they are fully functional and in good condition, replacement is not advisable. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize existing systems energetically. Our experience shows that energy efficiency can be significantly improved with simple measures. And energy can be saved and thus profitability increased in almost every air technology system.
The following levers are available for this:
- Use of energy-efficient components
- Recovery of waste energy such as waste heat
- Automatic adjustment of performance to constantly fluctuating demand
- Energy RetroFIT: Energy-related modernization and digitalization
2. Energy-optimized planning of new systems
Against the background that 75% of the total life cycle costs of air technology systems are accounted for by operating costs and only 25% by investment costs, considering energy costs is an economic necessity for every new investment. After all, today's investments are responsible for tomorrow's energy needs. The Green Deal supports this paradigm shift.
The following levers can minimize energy consumption in the planning of new systems:
- Energy-related system planning and dimensioning of the overall system
- Use of energy-efficient components and system parts
- Recovery of waste energy such as waste heat
- Automatic adjustment of performance to constantly fluctuating demand
- Creating the prerequisites for energy monitoring and ongoing energy-related system services
In our discussion of the energy-saving concept "KappaQ-Energy," we provide further information on the individual optimization measures and case studies (LINK).
Steyr-Gleink,
