Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1202034
The Knowledge: net zero mon phenomenon and the lat- est science shows that global warming must be limited to below 1.5°C to avoid the most catastrophic climate impacts. And that means reaching net zero emissions worldwide by 2050. The concept of net zero ap- plies to all sectors and dictates that human-caused emissions, such as from vehicles and factories, should be reduced as close to zero as possible. Any remaining GHGs must then be balanced with an equivalent amount of carbon removal, for example by restoring forests or through direct air capture and storage technology. Water companies have made strong progress in reducing their emissions over the past decade, but net zero by 2030 represents a step change. According to figures from Ricardo approximately four million tons of CO2 will need to be managed and reduced, encompassing both operational emissions and capital carbon used during the construction of assets, such as water mains, sewers and pumping stations. Stuart Colville, direc- tor of strategy at Water UK, remarked: "This commitment really sets the pace and as a highly energy intensive in- dustry it represents a massive challenge." Details of the roadmap for implementation are currently being developed, an initial report is due for release in March, followed by a more detailed blueprint later in 2020 that will outline the frame- work of measures companies need to take over the next 10 years. A first step for the project team is to trawl through envi- ronmental performance data that has been reported by the industry at a fairly granular level since 2008, to identify key sources of emissions and areas requiring improvement. Forward projections will then map out what would happen to emissions in a business as usual scenarios without any action from the sector. For example, the rapid ongoing decarbonisation of the electric- ity grid will help the sector significantly reduce its carbon footprint. Ian Behling, principal consultant, energy & climate change at Ricardo Energy & Environment, commented: "We can overlay that with new technology opportunities and other efficiencies to deal with the shortfall, as well as oppor- tunities to remove CO2 emis- sions from the atmosphere Yorkshire Water recently planted 1,500 trees at its Embsay Reservoir near Skipton. www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | FEBRAURY 2020 | 23 Case study: Sutton & East Surrey Water electric vehicle trial Emissions from SES Water's in-house vehicle fleet account for 17 per cent of its net carbon footprint, and those belonging to its main con- tractor account for a further 20 per cent (when the firm is doing work for SES), making the switch to greener alternatives a key concern. In February this year, the water company part- nered with its energy supplier, Drax, to trial 10 Nissan e-NV 200 vans over a period of five years to help identify the best operational set up. Initial fleet analysis by Drax determined the vehicles and systems that would work best and the individual vehicle users in the trial covering diverse roles such as M&E technicians, site operators, network inspectors, samplers and education coordinators. An innovative 'EVs-as-a-service' leasing arrangement was introduced to cover the installation of charging infrastructure, operating so ware, van leasing, and the renewable elec- tricity used to power the vehicles, for a single monthly fee. According to SES Water, partnering with an energy supplier has removed many of the barriers associated with EV uptake. Initial fleet analysis and identification of suitable vehicles and charging systems went beyond the tradi- tional remit of fleet or energy management. The trial is expected to deliver carbon sav- ings of at least 43 tonnes of CO2 per year, as well as facilitate and encourage greater uptake of EVs amongst employees and in the contrac- tor's fleet. Data collected from the vehicle telematics will highlight the typical mileage different types of user get from vehicles between charges and how it varies based on outside temperatures. In addition, EVs contribute to improved air quality in the local communities the company serves. SES Water now plans to roll out EVs more widely than initially envisaged and has extended the number of charging points from the 16 proposed in the trial to 28 across four sites, including three treatment works and at its head office.