Port cities: catalysts for the global energy transition

Yann Usseglio, Marketing Director in Accenta The energy transition in port cites doesn't depend only on the ships, how we build and manages our buildings plays a major role, as Yann Usseglio, Marketing Director from Accenta, explains in this article. Ports and port cities can play a central role in the global energy transition, if they focus their efforts on phasing out the use of fossil fuels for heating and air-conditioning in buildings. What is meant by “energy transition”? The energy transition can be a confusing subject, as different people with different interests see it in different ways, and because it has much to do with technologies. However, if we concentrate on the basics, everything becomes clearer. According to the International Energy Agency, fossil energy sources, i.e. oil, gas, and coal, accounted for 81% of the world’s primary energy consumption in 2017. But it is now accepted that the greenhouse gas emissions from burning these fuels are responsible for climate change. At the Paris Climate Summit in 2015, 195 States agreed on the need to limit global warming to an increase of 2°C compared with the pre-industrial age. And even to target an increase of no more than 1.5°C. To achieve that goal, we need to drastically reduce our use of fossil energy. That is the energy transition. For example, France is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which will mean a sixfold reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between 2015 and 2050. What uses should be reduced first? Fossil energy is virtually omnipresent, and we are faced with a hugely important issue that requires us to act quickly and ambitiously. For those reasons, we need to focus our efforts on areas that will yield the biggest results rapidly. Take the example of France, whose energy consumption profile is typical of many countries in the same latitudes. The transport and building industries account for 32% and 46% of the country’s total energy use respectively, a total of 78%. Any ambitious and effective strategy will necessarily mean making significant energy savings in these two sectors. Havneholmen, housing project in the waterfront of Copenhagen, Rob Deutscher The strategic importance of adapting buildings The building sector alone accounts for nearly half of France’s national energy consumption, and is therefore the number one priority for the energy transition. In particular, renovating existing buildings. That’s why France has introduced the “Tertiary Eco Energy Decree”, a piece of legislation designed to put all owners and users of tertiary buildings over 1,000 m² on…