To solve the energy problem, the answer is still ‘all of the above’
Source: Washington Post
Date: May 22, 2024
Diversity of fuel sources helps ensure security, affordability and sustainability
If you find ordinary dilemmas too easy to solve, then try a “trilemma.” And if you’re seeking a really tough trilemma, try what energy experts call the “energy trilemma.” How do you satisfy the world’s insatiable demand for energy—projected to double by 2050—in ways that are sustainable, secure and affordable, all at once? And how do you do it without stalling the global economy? It’s the equivalent of overhauling a car’s engine while keeping it running down the highway.
In a recent report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) asserts that solving the energy trilemma requires “diverse energy sources and supplies (and) diverse clean energy supply chains.”
And while climate activists are naturally focused on the rapid expansion of renewables, the IEA predicts that the achievable path to Net Zero involves a mix of diverse energy sources—including oil and gas—that will shift over a course of decades.
This diverse approach comes naturally to Enbridge. With its roots in oil pipelines, it’s now the premier energy infrastructure company in North America. It’s also one of the largest renewable energy companies in Canada, having invested more than $7 billion in wind, solar and more since 2002.
Enbridge takes advantage of North America’s huge oil and gas reserves to provide affordable and secure energy to millions of people. But it also takes the third part of that trilemma—sustainability—seriously. Not only has it pledged to reach net-zero emissions from its operations by 20501, 3, it’s also one of the few major energy firms to have declared an interim goal—reducing its emissions intensity 35% from its operations by 20301, 2. Since 2021, executive and staff compensation has been tied to progress in reaching those goals.
1 GHG emissions included within our targets are from assets over which we have operational control (Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions). Projected reductions of GHG emissions intensity and absolute emissions is relative to the 2018 baseline year. For more information, see our 2023 Sustainability Report.
2 This metric aggregates emissions and throughput for each business unit on the basis of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per energy delivered in petajoules (“PJ”). Estimated emissions (tCO2e) and volume (PJ) information as at Q4, 2023 is based on pre-audited numbers.
3 Absolute emissions.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) will play a critical role in ensuring energy security and advancing the transition to a lower-carbon future.
Enbridge is in fact already most of the way to reaching that first goal, due in part to its renewables investments.
The company has invested in 23 wind farms, 14 solar energy operations and a geothermal project—enough to collectively meet the needs of more than 1.1 million homes. Meanwhile, it’s also reducing the carbon intensity of its oil and gas businesses.
“The vision of the company is to provide energy in a safe and more planet-friendly way everywhere people need it,” says Enbridge president and CEO Greg Ebel. “We do that by being attractive to all the people and regions who are in different stages of this transition path.”
Two fuels are better than one
Our energy systems increasingly rely on multiple fuels. Hybrid cars run on both gasoline and electricity. In homes and other buildings, hybrid heating systems are growing in popularity. These systems switch between an electric heat pump and a natural gas furnace depending on ambient temperatures and electricity rates.
A hybrid approach is also key to renewable electricity generation. Solar and wind plants only provide electricity when the sun shines and when the wind blows. Backup electric generation is required for reliability, with the task typically falling to natural gas peaking plants.
In a variety of contexts, then, using complementary fuels results in a more reliable, affordable and sustainable solution.
“There’s no silver bullet in the energy transition, and the overall energy mix will change over time when it comes to generating electricity,” says Caitlin Tessin, vice president of strategy and market innovation for Enbridge’s Gas Transmission and Midstream business. “You can’t just take away one form of energy, particularly without sacrificing reliability or affordability. When looking at alternatives, natural gas is 50% cleaner than coal, it’s reliable, it’s abundant and it’s domestic. So, we firmly believe that it will play an important role in the energy mix as the transition progresses.”
Enbridge is using other hybrid strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of its operations. For example, six of Enbridge’s facilities are partly powered by solar farms. Three more such solar farms are planned. Enbridge is also blending hydrogen fuel—a promising future source of renewable energy—into natural gas pipelines. In a pilot project, it’s blending a small percentage of hydrogen fuel into natural gas supplied to 3,600 customers in Ontario, Canada.
Enbridge is uniquely equipped to implement these complementary strategies thanks to its diverse expertise in generation, transmission and distribution of various kinds of energy. “One of the unique things about Enbridge is our ability to horizontally integrate,” Tessin says. “We have green power expertise, we have pipeline expertise, we build critical infrastructure, and we have a long record of safe operation. We can bring all this to bear to deliver energy in new ways that are reliable, affordable and sustainable.”
Enbridge’s Flanagan Solar, a 10-megawatt solar energy facility, supplies a portion of the power needed to operate Enbridge’s Flanagan South Pipeline.
Cleaner pipes and cleaner fuels
Natural gas looks to be a significant part of the global energy mix for decades to come. Among its other uses, there’s currently no substitute for gas in manufacturing processes requiring high heat. Yet with fugitive methane emissions still a concern, Enbridge is focused on reducing emissions from both its gas and oil infrastructure.
The International Energy Agency estimates that more than 75% of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector could be reduced with existing technology. In its pipelines, Enbridge is using machine learning and predictive analytics to anticipate and prevent inadvertent leaks or shutdowns. It’s replacing older and less efficient gas compression stations and has a modernization program in place. And in its gas transmission and storage facilities, it’s capturing otherwise vented emissions and implementing enhanced leak detection and repair programs.
Produced from organic waste, such as food scraps, carbon-neutral RNG is used to fuel fleets, power industry, and heat homes and businesses more sustainably.
One promising area of innovation is methane produced from organic waste that has been generated from sources such as landfills, food waste, farms and wastewater.
Enbridge has six of these low-carbon “renewable natural gas” (RNG) projects currently operating and at least 50 more in development. It is aiming for 4% of the natural gas from its utility to be RNG by 2030. “The great thing about RNG is that it can be dropped into our existing gas system without any changes to pipeline infrastructure or consumer appliances,” Tessin says.
Enbridge also hopes to export more liquefied natural gas to emerging nations that are still largely reliant on coal or are seeking to complement renewable energy generation. Around the world, nearly 675 million people live without electricity, and about 2.3 billion people use harmful fuels like kerosene to cook their food.
Former congressman Tim Ryan hails from Ohio, which is currently benefiting from an energy-hungry manufacturing renaissance, significant natural gas production and processing, and new solar and EV battery production—all at once. He sees an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy as essential to ensuring that energy remains affordable, secure and sustainable today and in the future.
“It’s the clearest, most direct path to carbon neutrality and bending the curve on carbon,” Ryan says. “We have almost a doubling of projected increase in energy in the next decade or two. We have to figure out how to meet the demand for energy without crashing our economy. And the best path forward for that is natural gas partnering with renewables.”
This content is paid for by Enbridge and published by WP Creative Group. The Washington Post newsroom was not involved in the creation of this content. See the Washington Post article here.
