Power Generation

At the end of the 20th century, society, already industrialized, began to become aware of the negative global impact caused by traditional resources. Beyond having an expiration date, they endangered the preservation of the planet.

To problems, solutions: there is hope and it is called renewable energies. Derived from natural sources, they produce far fewer emissions than fossil fuels.

At the time, the only drawback was the high cost of changing the usual production systems for clean energy. Fortunately, they are becoming cheaper and more accessible, which encourages companies to jump into the pool. In fact, global investment in this type of energy already exceeds the economic bet on the fuels of a lifetime.

Carbon is beginning to be a thing of the past, yes, with a gradual elimination to ensure the stability of the companies that benefit. In its place, renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass or tidal are adopted which, together, help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the amount of toxic waste that is difficult to decompose.

Decarbonization is not an easy task in certain sectors; there are cases that seem almost unimaginable. And this almost is due to the appearance of green hydrogen, a solution that could represent a paradigm shift.

A little context. What is green hydrogen and why?

• Clean fuel that is obtained through water electrolysis (H2/O separation with electric current).
• Unlike gray hydrogen, the only residue left by the process is water: no trace of CO₂.
• The promising alternative: capable of storing and using energy from natural sources.
• Applicable to multiple fields: industry, electricity production, battery development, and more.

According to the IEA, this method would save 830 million tons of carbon dioxide per year that are generated when processing hydrogen with fossil fuels.

Although it sounds attractive at first, we must not lower our guard. If this resource is adopted in organizations, it is necessary to ensure the mitigation of risks for workers, with adequate preventive and predictive safety measures. EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) systems incorporate HSE modules prepared for this.

The EU requires achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. To the question of how to achieve this, the answer is unanimous: the path must be electrification based on renewable energy sources.

Among the most advanced technological proposals put on the table are high-performance batteries. These allow a reliable and efficient supply for multiple applications, such as vehicle electrification, renewable energy storage, energy backup in the event of possible failures and continuous power supply to critical electronic devices.

The increase in efficiency in plants and infrastructures, therefore, is achieved thanks to the fusion of green energies with new technologies such as IoT sensors, data analytics, intelligence or artificial vision, etc., as well as greater connectivity between devices and systems.

One of the great barriers to the energy transition has always been the high economic cost of replacing equipment and systems. However, as we saw at the beginning, this barrier has been losing weight over the years.

Measures such as decentralization allow the generation and control of energy to be distributed in a more equitable and localized way. Thus, technologies such as solar and wind become more accessible and cheaper for companies, which can obtain their own energy without the need for large transmission infrastructures.

From traditional consumers who depended on third parties, these companies evolve into prosumers, with greater involvement in energy production and storage.

Smart Grids without Emissions, a Good Prologue

Smart Grids (smart electrical grids) are a good method of controlling from where the generation, distribution, consumption and storage of electrical energy is required. Thanks to the integration of all the components of a specific network, they convert the supply into efficient, sustainable, economical and safe. At the same time, users can manage each of their dispersed resources in a single control center.

As has been seen previously, advanced technologies not only consolidate a plan B in the face of possible failures, but also guarantee that the most critical and essential devices do not stop working under any circumstances.

Although the decentralization of our energy sources exposes us to a greater risk of cyberattacks, it ensures that if one fails, the rest will not fall in cascade. Hospitals, airports, drinking water supply and production plants are examples of operations that need to be active at all times and have alternatives in the event of system errors.

If a natural disaster also occurs, the world cannot remain incommunicado: there must be strategically located power plants, away from areas prone to catastrophes, that can provide an immediate response to citizens.

In short, the transition to decentralized digital connections poses significant challenges in terms of cybersecurity. Open solutions need a good base that protects the system from any attempted assault and ensures the stability and reliability of the energy supply.