In an industrial setting, improved automation and control can shine a light on these inefficiencies and lead to more sustainable outcomes
As countries across the Middle East actively invest in advancing sustainable energy projects toward achieving net-zero emissions goals, the number of companies with net-zero targets is consistently rising. Over 12% of businesses in the region have committed to net-zero targets, according to a report by the World Economic Forum and the U.S. consultancy Bain & Company.
The report evaluated the disclosure and sustainability measures of around 200 publicly listed and private companies across MENA’s nine biggest economies[1], showing that entities increasingly seek ways to implement a tangible plan of action that can affect meaningful change.
There is no magic bullet to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Getting there will require more financial incentives, more pressure from regulators and investors, significant changes to energy production and management—and innovation! However, before a company can address its emissions, it must first understand the size of the problem and identify its source.
Historically, carbon dioxide emissions have been measured indirectly from utility bills and industrial operational assessments, giving only a superficial understanding of how and where energy is used. Real-time measurement and automation of the data-collection process can help solve this problem. Not only can it be more accurate, but it also can give insights into how operations may be wasting energy. Additionally, it is real-time, allowing for faster response times. On a larger scale, automation can make it easier for organizations to establish a baseline of energy use and emissions and, from there, identify the levers they can pull to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly.
Here are three ways organizations can embrace automation to help deliver greater sustainability.
1: Use automation to make your equipment more efficient
The first step in helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to become more efficient with energy utilization. After all, energy that isn’t generated doesn’t result in greenhouse gas emissions. Automation plays a substantial role in optimizing energy utilization. Through better process control and equipment health monitoring, industrial processes can achieve the same output by utilizing equipment more efficiently.
Think of this in the context of a familiar scenario in our everyday lives. If we’re driving to a particular destination and choose to take a longer route with more traffic, we end up using more fuel. This illustrates how we may select suboptimal options due to habit or the need for more awareness. In an industrial setting, improved automation and control can illuminate these inefficiencies and lead to more sustainable outcomes.
2: Leverage automation to tap renewable energy sources efficiently
Another lever to remediate greenhouse gas emissions is to unlock renewable energy. By 2050, renewable energy sources, including water, solar and wind, are expected to constitute a staggering 70% of the Middle East’s power generation mix, according to a recent report by Rystad Energy, a Norwegian business intelligence firm. [2]
However, wind turbines don’t produce power without wind, and solar cells can’t produce zero-carbon electricity when sunlight is unavailable. At the same time, from the demand side, increasing electrification and ageing infrastructure are causing significant stress on the grid to handle the variability of supply and demand. This is where a battery energy storage system (BESS) can play a vital role, acting as a buffer between intermittent supply and demand needs.
Automation technology that controls the charge and discharge of battery storage systems enables energy generated from wind and solar to be efficiently stored at the time of availability and then released when the power is needed most. These systems can also help reduce electricity bills by charging during cleaner and cheaper energy generation periods and discharging during peak demand when electricity is costlier and often has higher carbon intensity.
3: Scale up automation for biofuel production
Biofuels provide a pathway to decreasing greenhouse gas emissions across the transport sector, including on-road, off-road, rail, marine and aviation. For example, in the aviation sector, widespread adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a low-carbon alternative to conventional jet fuels, could contribute around 65% of the emissions reduction needed to reach the industry’s goal of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
Automation technologies can help existing refineries convert to SAF production, providing a faster and more cost-effective route to renewable fuels with lower capital investment. In addition, advanced monitoring, process control and cyber-secure hardware and software technologies can help these digital refineries operate at higher levels of efficiency, improve production and strengthen safety.
Now is the time to act
Next-generation digital technologies provide a path to measuring and reducing emissions and achieving sustainability goals. Organizations that adopt these automation tools can operate more efficiently, more productively, and more responsibly, helping to reduce environmental impact, enhance competitiveness, and create a brighter, greener future for all.