Decarbonizing industry

Decarbonization is the process of reducing or eliminating the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere.

The principle of industrial decarbonization consists of reducing and/or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions, on a national scale, generated by various industrial activities. It focuses on 3 main levers:

• Improving the energy efficiency in various industries;
• Transitioning to renewable energy sources;
• Enabling CO2 Storage.

Faced with the Climate emergency that we are facing and the need to develop sustainable solutions, decarbonization has become a fundamental topic in the industrial sector today.

Indeed, in France, the industrial sector accounts for 1/5th of our greenhouse gas emissions and more than 90% of the GHG emissions of this sector correspond to carbon (CO2) emissions.

As the crucial need for decarbonization has become one of France’s main objectives, it is important to Act quickly. But then, what are the available solutions to achieve this objective?

2 – What concrete actions for decarbonization?

Specific objectives

In 2015, France published the «National Low Carbon Strategy (SNBC)» offering guidelines for implementing the transition to a low-carbon, circular and sustainable economy. The objective of this strategy is to achieve a reduction of:

• 35% of all types of GHG emissions by 2030;
• 81% of all types of GHG emissions by 2050.

The vision of this strategy would be to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

Concrete actions

To achieve its zero-carbon objective, France has set up a France 2030 investment plan. The goal of this plan is to sustainably transform key sectors of the economy, such as energy and hydrogen, through investment in technological innovation and Industrialization projects.

Support mechanisms for the decarbonization of industry have been put in place to accelerate the energy transition and reduce GHG emissions. France has allocated a budget of more than €5 billion with the aim of deploying decarbonization solutions at industrial sites to meet global ecological challenges.

€610 million has been deployed to support innovation and the development of new technologies in order to:

• Promote the decarbonization of industries.;
• Maximizing French industrial benefits in the decarbonization market.

But then, where do we find these means of support for companies?

As part of France 2030, numerous Calls for projects developed by state actors have been launched; the objective is to encourage and support companies in the development of innovative solutions in order to meet the challenges of #decarbonization.

We are presenting some of the entities setting up project financing:

• FrenchTech, a movement for the collective mobilization of France’s territorial ecosystems for the growth of startups and digital companies, has a mission to make France a highly attractive country for startups looking to expand internationally. Various business support programs are implemented by FrenchTech. Following their application to the FrenchTech programs, companies are initially evaluated on their potential for impact and growth, and then a second time on their deployment and governance capacity. 

• ADEME, an organization supporting companies, local authorities, etc. to accelerate the reduction of energy consumption, develop renewable energies, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The main objective of this organization is to support companies in successfully navigating the ecological transition. ADEME's project selection process is relatively rigorous; companies must submit a complete application that will be evaluated by experts based on various criteria such as energy efficiency, environmental performance, etc. Projects are then ranked, and project leaders are informed of the results individually.

•  BPI France, the French public investment bank, whose mission is to finance and develop companies. Climate issues have become a priority for BPI, and many calls for projects aimed at decarbonization and the ecological transition are launched annually. Similar to the PAAs set up by ADEME, companies are required to submit a complete application to respond to BPI France PPAs. The applications are then evaluated by experts, and aid is allocated to the most innovative and realistic projects.

• We will also find funding programs set up by regional entities such as the Occitanie Region Or New Aquitaine, very often in collaboration with the entities listed above. Project selection is also done by submitting applications, which must contain a lot of information such as the project's impact, budget, risk level, team capabilities, or degree of innovation. Experts from different organizations evaluate and select the projects.

• Larger-scale entities also exist; the European Commission, for instance, regularly sets up aid programs to support innovative impact projects. Depending on the type of integrated program, the selection process can be more or less rigorous. As with many programs, an application is required and must sometimes be accompanied by presentations and/or videos to explain the project in detail. Selection processes are often carried out in several stages, and the elements requested by the European Innovation Council (EIC) are increasingly precise depending on the selection stage.

3- And the water horizon?

WaterHorizon offers a solution for distributing renewable Heat and cold to a remote consumer from waste heat, waste heat from a process or product that is not used by the latter and rejected by industries. Thanks to the circular operation Water Horizon allows large consumers of thermal energy to do without heating and cooling solutions using carbon-based sources and environmentally harmful refrigerants; We will thus bring sobriety and ecology to the colossal industrial cooling market.

Thus, the Water Horizon project is perfectly in the field of innovation for sustainable development and the circular economy.

main obstacle to the massive use of waste heat as a source of thermal energy is the proximity of  the producer and the consumer. Thanks to its innovative mobile technology solution, WH is changing this paradigm by transporting this energy to another point where either heat or cold (down to -10°C) can be consumed as needed.

The heating and cooling markets are increasingly looking for renewable solutions. In Europe, renewable energy sources account for only 23% of thermal consumption. WaterHorizon is therefore the right time to meet the growing demand for heat, but also for renewable cold, which is becoming a priority with Climate change.

Our ambition is to become a major player in decarbonization, offering everyone a better and greener industrial future.