Electrification: definition and meaning

To slow the pace of global warming, governments and companies around the world have made a commitment to cutting emissions of the harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, in order to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Reaching these goals involves making an energy transition away from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, towards renewable energy sources like solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal. But the energy transition alone will not be enough to reduce carbon emissions below the danger point. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions must also involve shifting the  machines, transportation, and industrial processes currently powered by fossil fuels to be powered by electricity. The process is called electrification, or using electricity as a source to provide a service previously met by other energy sources. Only when electrification is achieved with power generated from 100% renewable sources will it become an essential tool to bring about the energy transition, enable the decarbonization of final consumption, and contribute to the goal of sustainable development.

It should therefore be understood as an essential tool to bring about the energy transition and give form to a model of sustainable development.

The benefits of electrification start with sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction. Replacing electricity generated by fossil fuels with power generated by renewable sources, coupled with the electrification of final uses, reduces pollution. The European Union has increased its climate ambition by 2030, pushing to at least a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to 1990, in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. In this scenario, in the EU27 the penetration of electricity in final energy use is predicted to grow from 23% to 30-31% by 2030 and between 47% to 60% by 2050, according to EU figures. The benefits of electrification, however, go beyond climate change and healthier air. Electrification creates an interlinked series of benefits that form a virtuous circle. There are five main and interlocking benefits from electrification:

Home electrification makes your residence energy efficient, resulting in lower electricity bills. For example, home electrification solutions such as:

Moreover, electrification can lead to the centralized control of integrated appliances, smart thermostats, and LED bulbs that make homes more efficient, safe, and comfortable, turning them into smart homes. In a smart home, a centralized system manages energy consumption optimally, for example, by operating the washing machine when the cost of electricity is lower or autonomously adjusting lighting or room temperature based on consumption habits.

Industry used to be synonymous with its dirty smokestacks, but no longer. Nearly half of the fossil energy used in manufacturing (e.g. for heat treatments, drying, distillations, compressions, cooking) can be replaced with electricity using technologies already available.

 

There are several benefits of electrification for factories and industry:

Many solutions for electrification in industry and related services are already in use and are becoming increasingly common. Here is a look at a few:

• Low- and medium-temperature heat pumps offer a wide variety of solutions for electrification for both facilities and manufacturing operations which can be combined with energy management software to optimize consumption and program demand.
• Electrification allows companies to take part in Demand Response programs, unlocking the potential to generate a new revenue stream, as well as lower energy costs
• Photovoltaic systems on warehouse roofs to generate solar energy for the facility are increasingly common in industrial use. When solar panels are combined with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), they become even more efficient since this renewable energy can be stored and used when it is needed.  
• The installation of cogeneration or trigeneration plants recover the waste heat produced by electricity generation to use for heating and cooling
• Mobility solutions for the electrification of corporate fleets and their management is an increasingly common tool to cut emissions

By 2050, over 70% of the world’s population will live in cities, so urban energy infrastructure must adapt to keep up with the pace of change. Cities currently account for nearly three quarters of annual carbon emissions and two thirds of global energy consumption. The electrification of cities creates benefits such as making the cities of today and tomorrow more livable, healthy and sustainable.

 

Fortunately, cities have many electrification solutions at their disposal.

• Municipal administrations can use solar panels to provide clean energy to meet the heating, cooling and electricity needs of of electrified offices, schools and hospitals
• Electrification also makes it easier to use energy management programs that allow building managers to achieve savings on lighting and heating in public buildings

• Electrification of cities must include a new approach to public lighting. Public administrations, with Enel X’s support, can make their smart cities more functional, efficient and sustainable by replacing obsolete public lighting infrastructure with innovative LED solutions, and with cutting-edge technologies that improve lighting service through greater security and system reliability. Adaptive lighting, i.e. the possibility of adjusting street lighting based on real traffic, weather, and brightness conditions, can optimize street lighting and lead to energy savings of 20-35% compared to LED lights. Moreover, with the same technology, innovative services can be added, like public video surveillance and traffic monitoring.