ABB’s solutions are tailored to support its customers in navigating the complexities of the energy transition and achieving net zero emissions.
With its energy efficiency technologies and rigorous science-based net-zero targets approach, ABB is focused on enabling energy efficient and low carbon operations across traditional industries through digitalisation and automation, supporting the development of new and renewable energy models, and driving more responsible use of resources.
ABB helped its customers avoid 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, and is aiming to enable its customers avoid 600 million tonnes of emissions through products sold from 2022 to 2030.
Abhinav Harikumar, Head of Energy Industries at ABB Australia, told Green Review that the focus of the energy transition needed to be on minimising emissions from existing energy sources, while adding as much capacity and diversity as possible to the global energy mix.
A critical aspect of this is reducing emissions from hard-to-abate industries such as oil and gas, chemicals, cement, and steel production.
Abhinav said: “To quickly and effectively reach net zero, we should look to opportunities to reduce emissions in existing operations – this is what I think of as low hanging fruit.
“This can include electrifying assets as well as incorporating other renewable sources such as solar and utilising energy systems to reduce emissions.
“There’s a lot we can do, but what’s important is having a clearly defined medium- and long-term vision as well as short-term milestones.
“And you can incentivise both, with subsidies and tax credits to prompt movement now, as well as support research and development to help make the breakthroughs that will further accelerate the transition.”
For Australia's Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project, ABB provided automation, electrification and instrumentation solutions, with the project producing and transporting liquified hydrogen to Japan in 2022 in a world-first.
ABB also assisted Woodside with the upgrade and installation of the power management system and process power simulator for Woodside’s Ngujima-Yin FPSO vessel, which needed an intelligent, integrated solution to improve operations, minimise risks and costs, and transform processes.
This was achieved by creating a digital twin of the FPSO’s process and electrical control systems, helping plant operations and assets to be assessed, and upgrades and reconfigurations to be tested, adjusted and verified prior to commissioning or before changes are implemented.
ABB also has a suite of solutions focused on hydrogen energy management optimisation, which will be key in harnessing the shift towards green hydrogen.
ABB’s OPTIMAX for Green Hydrogen helps utility and industrial companies optimise green hydrogen production by reducing their operational costs, increasing efficiency, and reducing their carbon footprint.
Furthermore, the energy management system supports predictive optimisation of electrolysers; provides real-time control of single electrolyser modules to drive energy efficiency; participates in ancillary service markets; and monitors the usage of electrical energy, heat, and mass flows.
ABB believes carbon capture and storage (CCS) has an important role to play in supporting the energy transition by tackling emissions in hard-to-abate sectors, and has partnered with specialist global firms such as CMG and Pace CCS to advance the technology.
Due to a lack of operational practice across the full value chain being a primary obstacle to mainstream CCS adoption, the partnerships aim to deliver proof-of-concepts through the use of digital twin technology and subsurface modelling that provide a virtual simulation of the entire CCS process.
Abhinav said digital technology plays a crucial role in enabling organisations to optimise energy efficiency, and by stabilising the integration of renewables into the grid, and de-risking new energy markets.
Abhinav added: “Efficient data management ensures transparency and visibility, leading to insights that drive better decisions, increase efficiency, and reduce environmental impact.”
ABB’s energy management solutions in this area include advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and Internet-of-Things capabilities to monitor and control energy systems in real-time.
This article was first published in the Green Review May edition.
