The second theme being considered at COP27 today is Energy with sessions looking at energy transitions and examining progress with green hydrogen. Energy equity, security and sustainability are all part of this. We've considered some of the associated issues and then explored some low carbon and renewable energy sources. (ACE & Civil Society also runs as a theme today).
Father God creator of all good things. We thank you for the fuels that have driven change and give us power, light and warmth. We pray for those in the UK currently suffering fuel poverty that they will have the resources to keep warm and food to eat. We thank you for all those working to make technological breakthroughs in shifting the reliance on fossil fuels and delivering ‘clean energy’. We ask that there will be funding and solutions that can quickly be implemented.
As the Parties discuss energy at COP27 today, Father God, we bring the energy trilemma to you: the need for equity, security and sustainability in our energy provision and that of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.
We ask for energy that is accessible and affordable for all; we ask for energy that is reliable in provision and cost; and we ask for energy that is sustainable in production and transmission. We thank you for all the things that energy means to us: for warm homes, light to see by at night, cooked food, clean bodies and fresh clothes; and we confess that until recently we took all this for granted.
As we live through times of energy uncertainty may we be reminded of our our brothers and sisters in parts of the world for whom energy has never been predictable or certain.
Job 26: 7-14 (NIV)
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke. By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces. By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent. And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?
Many of the issues discussed under A Just Transition and Decarbonisation are also relevant to energy. If we are to prevent global temperatures rising beyond the 1.5°C target the world needs to rapidly transition away from fossil fuel energy to renewable and low carbon energy sources.
The World Energy Council's Energy Trilema is relevant to every country in the world and provides a context within which to discuss energy provision:
Energy Equity: making energy accessible and affordable for consumers;
Energy Security: ensuring the reliability of energy sources, including price and geopolitics;
Energy Sustainability: minimising environmental harm, such as carbon emissions.
Energy considerations are wider than just source type: energy efficiency, energy storage and the delivery of energy to consumers must all be taken into account. All these aspects can have environmental and social impacts if they are not handled well.
The subject of low carbon energy sources is not without contention. For example, should nuclear energy be part of the mix? There are some who say it’s impossible to meet temperature targets without it and there are others who suggest that the perceived long-term risks are too high. On the whole, this is a global north dilema: in 2021 5.8% of the UK's energy was nuclear and 36.4% of France's but the proportion for South Africa (the only African country with nuclear power) was 1.89% (Our World in Data).
Renewable energy sources are not all equal when it comes to carbon emissions. Technologies such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, tidal and ground source heat do not involve combustion and therefore do not emit carbon dioxide, and generally the electricity they produce can be delivered to the grid or consumer easily. However, the combustion of biofuels to produce energy does cause carbon dioxide emissions, although biofuels are considered by many people to be carbon neutral because the plants from which they are derived take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. Things get a little more complicated if the biomass has to be transported long distances to powerplants - transport emissions can then become significant.
Renewable energy sources are also not all equal when it comes to other environmental and societal impacts, although the impacts are likely to differ on a project-by-project basis. We're already familar with this in the UK when it comes to wind energy. Wind turbines are an important part of the country's renewable energy energy budget, but there would be an outcry if a wind farm appeared on the top of Ben Nevis or in the middle of the Cairngorn Plateau (for example). And returning to biofuels - has the biofuel replaced a food crop that is much-needed by a local community? A lot of care and discernment is needed.
We hear a lot about renewable energy sources these days so it's easy to feel that we know it all. However, when we started searching we realised that we'd heard the terms but we often were not familiar with all of the technology. Some technologies are suitable for the individual consumer and others operate at a large scale. Here are some sites to browse:
Overview: a comparison of renewable and non-renewable energy sources on the BBC Bitesize website and another comparison on the Which? website.
Wind power: explained on the BBC Bitesize and Solar Schools websites.
Solar: explained on the BBC Bitesize ans Solar Schools websites.
Hydropower: explained on the Solar Schools website. (And being Balerno-based we should mention our local Harlaw Hydro scheme).
Geothermal: explained on the BBC Bitesize and Solar Schools websites.
Tidal: tidal energy and its impacts, how tidal energy is generated and how a tidal barrage works, explained on the BBC Bitesize website.
Wave power: how it works, location factors, advantages and disadvantages, explained on the BBC Bitesize website.
Air source heat pumps: explained on the Which? website.
Ground source heat pumps: explained on the Which? website.
Biofuel: explained on the BBC Bitesize and Solar Schools websites.
Nuclear energy: explained on the BBC Bitesize and Solar Schools websites.
Green hydrogen: a lot of people have high hopes for green hydrogen, although the technology is still in its infancy, at least at a consumer scale. And it's important to know that not all hydrogen is green. There's a video that exlains it well on the Undecided website.
High level opening remarks: An opening session where high-level officials and energy transition champions set the scene for the recurring themes of the day: the energy trilemma in a time of global crisis the imperative for a just and equitable energy transition and the need to accelerate technology breakthroughs such as green hydrogen.
For a Just and Affordable Energy Transition in Africa: Launch of the COP27 initiative to present pathways for a just and affordable energy transition in Africa, ways in which Africa can solve the energy trilemma, the risks and opportunities involved, and the critical enablers needed to succeed.
Delivering Clean Energy at a Time of Global Crisis - Energy Security and Climate Change: a discussion between ministers of energy, leaders of development financial institutions and energy security experts addressing the current energy crisis and the long-term pathways to transition away from fossil fuels. Strategies that countries can adopt to improve energy security while advancing the transition to a low economy will be highlighted.
Towards New Energy Systems and Technologies: A session highlighting the importance of innovation and technology in enabling the transition to low-carbon energy systems, focusing on technical solutions for electricity systems e.g. battery storage, smart grids, and other technologies, and the enablers required to scale up these solutions.
Green Hydrogen - Policies: Catalyzer for Energy Transition and Sustainable Development: The transition from a global economy dependent on fossil fuels, to a green hydrogen and renewable fuels-based economy is happening now. Developing green hydrogen value chains can yield economic value, create jobs and contribute to achieving global emission reduction targets. Green hydrogen and its derivatives (e.g., green ammonia, e-fuels) will be critical to reduce the emissions of hard-to-abate and hard-to-electrify sectors such as heavy industries, aviation, and shipping or heavy road transportation. The session will bring together technology, policy experts, economists, and financial leaders to discuss the latest developments in this field and the enablers required to scale up the solutions.
Towards a Green Hydrogen Economy: focusing on the potential for Africa and developing countries to become major green hydrogen producers, the related economic and job growth opportunities, and the financing gap needed in the global south to achieve this potential.
Financing the Clean Energy Transition: accelerating the trend of clean energy finance, will require innovative mechanisms, e.g. blended finance partnerships, just energy transition platforms. The session will gather representatives of governmental agencies, development finance institutions, commercial banks and philanthropies.
Role of National Policies and its relation to Global Policies.
COP27 Day8: Energy (and ACE & Civil Society)
