The Paris
agreement was signed to slow down climate change. But in order to keep a check on global warming, the
need of an hour is to go on a path of decarbonisation. Decarbonisation refers
to the reduction of carbon dioxide from the energy resources. And this requires
switching to clean renewable energy sources and shifting from fossil fuels to
electricity. Studies show that 90% of world’s total energy involves the
generation and elimination of heat or thermal energy, which also includes the
cooling of food and your rooms. But in order to cope with the problem of climate
change there is a strict need to transmit and store thermal energy.
Solar and wind
power are very much important part for solving the problem of climate change
but will not give efficient energy for running out industrial processes. But
still modern renewable technologies are the most inexpensive source of
electricity. There is a need to increase its consumption percentage and must
decarbonize heat and use this heat and thermal energy to store or convert into electricity.
There is a need
to build a technology that could reduce green house emissions by atleast one
gigaton. We all are in the hustle to improve our quality of life but on the
cost of environment.
One of the major
challenge is to store excess solar and wind energy as heat over number of days
and then to convert it into electricity when required. Along with this
decarbonisation of energy will reduce green house gases emission in
environment. But there is need to expand technology because present technology
like lithium ion batteries is too expensive to be used to store renewable
energy for multiple days. Many heat energy technologies are still in their
early development.
GHG
emissions coming out of industries comprise 15% of global emissions and having
heat ranging of temperatures 100 to 1000°C. Industrial sector could make steps
to decarbonized its emissions by using hydrogen combustors and resistive
heaters. Here also R&D work is to build low capacity factor furnaces and
cheap high temperature devices.
With the rise of
refrigeration and cooling in developing economies, this also comes up a major
challenge. Here the goal is to invent refrigerants for air conditioning and
food without leakage of hydrofluorocarbons. There is need to develop new
refrigerants must which will be non-flammable, non-toxic and affordable.
Also there is a great
need to control thermal conductance in building’s shell which could save 10 to
40% of GHG emissions in atmosphere. The new goal is to develop heat equivalent
to an electrical power line used for transporting large megawatt of heat to
large distance with minimal equipments. Thermal superconductor can be used for
this but still lots of discoveries are required in this field.
Decarbonisation and
storage of thermal heat will offers the best way for setting a common course
for a secure, sustainable and economically successful future on a planet worth living
on.
