As the world copes with the urgent need to address climate change, one critical area demands our attention: the use of energy recovery technology in our cities to decarbonise buildings and transport. By José La Loggia, Group President EMEA, Trane Technologies
Buildings are responsible for nearly 40 per cent of all global emissions, of which heating and cooling accounts for 15 per cent,1 while heavy-duty vehicles are responsible for a quarter of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions from road transport.2 To reduce emissions and decarbonise our cities – meaning to lower or eliminate carbon dioxide emissions by transitioning to energy recovery technology, renewable energy and improving efficiency -we must revolutionise energy used in buildings and transport – transforming them from energy sinks into energy sources.
Historically, buildings have relied on fossil fuels such as coal, and natural gas for heating. Cooling is a more recent development. Most buildings now have separate heating and cooling systems that operate independently, causing higher emissions. Notably, cooling processes generate heat, which is typically wasted and released into the atmosphere.
Energy recovery: a game changer for buildings
The vision for our cities is clear: a future in which renewable energy production, heating and cooling of buildings, and energy storage operate in unison to create highly energy-efficient buildings. Such buildings generate enough energy to run their own facilities without drawing from the grid, re-purposing what would otherwise be wasted while driving significant energy efficiencies. If decarbonised buildings became the norm, we could breathe cleaner air and live in smarter, healthier and more resilient cities that are less reliant on fossil fuels.
The concept of thermal management for temperature control is central to this vision. Technologies such as heat pumps enable the capture and movement of available “free” energy from the air or ground into buildings. By using heat pumps, building owners and city planners can also integrate heating and cooling systems and draw from another untapped free source of energy: waste heat.
In fact, heat pumps can re-purpose wasted heat to address other heating demands at a building or city level. A prime example of an innovative thermal management system is Trane Technologies’ project in the Dutch city of Aalsmeer. Excess heat from a data centre is repurposed to provide hot water to a local school and gymnasium. This project saved Aalsmeer 400 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions annually—the equivalent of emissions from 48 homes. Adopting a simultaneous heating and cooling thermal management system, which can heat and cool at the same time, not only reduces reliance on fossil fuels, but it is also much more efficient.
Driving down carbon emissions in transportation
New industry standards for emissions reduction and efficiency are being set for commercial transportation. Trane Technologies specialises in transport refrigeration, to ensure the safety of foods and medicines – in a sustainable way. The Thermo King AxlePower energy recovery system, for example, harvests energy when a trailer rolls or brakes, capturing and storing the power in a high-voltage battery that powers the refrigeration unit. Such high-performance, hybrid or fully electric systems can make significant CO2 savings. During a trial on Woolworths’ long-haul N1 route in South Africa, the vehicle’s battery operated for a distance of 15,000 kilometres to cool the load and only engaged the diesel engine three per cent of the time. On the route between Johannesburg and Cape Town, carbon emissions dropped by 27 tonnes.
Challenging the current mindset
By now, it should be clear that obstacles to creating decarbonised cities are not technological. So, what is? One common misconception is that sustainable solutions are prohibitively expensive. In reality, the energy efficiency and CO2 reductions achieved through these technologies often result in short payback periods, sometimes within just two to three years.
Another myth is that these systems are complex and only applicable to new building construction. This is far from the truth. Almost 75 per cent of existing building stock in the European Union has a poor energy performance that can be considerably improved with smart heating and cooling solutions.3 When we replace cooling-only machines with those capable of simultaneous heating and cooling, the incremental cost is more manageable. And for fleet owners looking to switch to electric solutions, next-generation energy recovery systems (e.g. Thermo King AxlePower) are also more efficient, less reliant on recharging stations and fossil fuels.
Financing, often perceived as a barrier, is also readily available. The key is to finance the future, not outdated systems.
The future is now: time for action
The path to decarbonising our cities lies in these sustainable, thermal management and energy recovery solutions. As we move forward, policymakers, industry leaders, and communities must work together to embrace this vision.
Decarbonising our cities is within reach, and the benefits for our planet and future generations are immeasurable.
