Page 10 - Process Safety and the Energy Transition
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The energy transition
There are many definitions of “energy transition” with most centering on a shift from one
system of energy production and consumption to another. What makes this energy
transition unique, as described by the United Nations, is a “focus on applying appropriate
energy technologies to reach net-zero emissions.” (United Nations 2023) By defining the
transition as involving a “system” and by including the goal of net-zero emissions, the scope
of this transition broadens from a simple supply switch from hydrocarbons to renewable
energy to include reducing emissions, both from existing systems and from new energy
technologies and industries. While greenhouse gases include methane (from leaks and
flares) and non-energy sources such as agriculture, the majority of global greenhouse gas
emissions is from energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. (World Economic Forum 2020)
This highlights the importance of not only the energy source, but also its production and
usage byproducts.
The current energy transition has been expedited in recent years by the growing
global concern related to fossil fuel use and impacts on climate change. Much information is
available on the energy transition and climate change. The United Nations COP28 concluded
the world’s efforts to address climate change are too slow and the transition away from fossil
fuels should be accelerated. (UNFCCC 2024) The United Nations Development Program also
provides data and resources on the energy transition. (UNDP 2024)
Figure 4 illustrates one of the projected scenarios which illustrates the transition in
energy source and demand from the present projected to 2050.
Figure 4 - World primary energy supply and final energy demand (DNV 2023)
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Process Safety and the Energy Transition
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