The current challenge facing today’s energy system – and the one that will define the industry’s future – is how to achieve net zero emissions without jeopardizing business viability and without compromising profitability or depending on risky technology.
"Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy" article with Hydrocarbon Engineering, talks about using a two-pronged strategic approach. Know thyself refers to the refinery’s configuration, its unit operations, its energy demand and use, and its GHG emissions. Know thy enemy refers to the old battles familiar to all refineries; those of energy integration, efficiency, yield maximization, and cost control. These two aspects are linked for success.
The key to success lies in using new tools and technologies to plot a path to net zero targets and to weigh options along the journey. Using integrated process, energy and emissions models provides insight into possible future transition reduction scenarios within the context of the process and energy system. Coupled with modern emissions and energy management tools, these integrated models provide critical insight into evaluating renewable energy, feedstocks, and products for an asset’s transition to zero emissions. These models help identify network opportunities for collective action that address emissions reduction across traditional industry boundaries.