Leading on from the UK government's [Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution](/blog/uk-government-ten-point-plan/ "Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution") where the government makes energy efficiency a top priority in order to reach its [Race to Zero](/blog/race-to-zero/ "Race to Zero") targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), in this article we will be exploring what causes emissions in the Industry and how to become more energy-efficient by answering the following questions: **What are the four industry emitters?** and **How can the Heavy Industry become more energy-efficient to achieve Real Zero?** Keep reading to learn about how you could implement Real Zero to help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT ARE THE FOUR INDUSTRY EMITTERS?

The UK government has introduced a number of policies in order for all industries and sectors across the UK to make energy efficiency a priority in order to reduce carbon emissions entering the atmosphere. By 2050 the UK government aims to [reduce the UK’s greenhouse gasses by 100% by 2050] and with the Industry estimated to account for one-quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, here we discuss the main four industrial emitters (cement, steel, aluminium, and chemicals):

### 1. CEMENT
In the [Reducing UK emissions 2018 Progress Report to Parliament](https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CCC-2018-Progress-Report-to-Parliament.pdf "Reducing UK emissions 2018 Progress Report to Parliament") by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) states that cement contributes to around 10% of direct UK industrial emissions, with more than half of those emissions coming from the process of producing clinker. Clinker is the main ingredient in cement and is made by heating a mixture of raw materials in a rotary kiln at high temperature.

### 2. STEEL
Steel is produced by iron ore mixed with coal and with the high demand it accounts for 17% of UK industrial emissions. For the future of steel production, recycling could be a potential opportunity in hopes to produce zero carbon emissions and reduce the supply and demand.

### 3. ALUMINIUM
Emissions are caused by the electrodes used in smelting. Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore to extract a base metal such as silver, copper, and iron, and so carbon emissions enter the atmosphere as it gives off CO2 as they wear down.

### 4. CHEMICALS
The CCC's Reducing UK emissions 2018 Progress Report to Parliament expresses how the chemical industry contributes to about 12% of UK industry's direct emissions. Processes such as steam cracking to create light olefins use a lot of energy and therefore, it is believed that improving energy efficiency across all relevant sectors and adapting to technology will play an important role in reducing energy consumption in the chemical industry.

## HOW CAN THE HEAVY INDUSTRY HELP THE UK TO ACHIEVE REAL ZERO?

With 60% of direct industrial emissions coming from manufacturing and cement, steel, aluminium, and chemicals producing high emissions, a way industry can reduce emissions is by shifting from using fossil fuels to clean energy. Here we go through several ways the Industry can achieve [Real Zero](/blog/what-is-real-zero/ "Real Zero"):

- **Carbon capture and storage (CCS)**: This technology can dramatically help the Industry to reduce emissions as CO2 is captured preventing it from entering the atmosphere, where it is then stored underground. In 2019, the UK government announced a £800m funding for CCS projects in the 2019 budget to help businesses implement the technology
- **Reducing clinker**: As we mentioned, half of emissions in creating cement comes from the process of producing clinker and therefore, replacing raw materials with ingredients such as graphene and substituting the fossil fuels like coal, can subsequently make the process of creating clicker a lot cleaner and reduce emissions. As well as, potentially cutting costs due to the new ingredients being less expensive. For buildings using alternative building materials and [on-site construction](/blog/prefabrication-and-modular-design/ "on-site construction") could lower emissions by [more than 50%](https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/publications/research/2018-06-13-making-concrete-change-cement-lehne-preston.pdf "more than 50%") without compromising the quality of structures
- **Recycling steel**: Due to steel being made by iron ore mixed with coal, recycling steel could help reduce carbon emissions and reduce the supply and demand. Steel can be made by using electric arc furnaces which can be powered from renewables, and with the ability to separate steel from other metals this means steel can me upcycled. [Three companies](https://www.hybritdevelopment.com/ "Three companies") have also joined forces to also develop a steelmaking process that emits water rather than carbon dioxide, aiming to replace coal with hydrogen
- **Replacing carbon with hydrogen**: Aluminium is used to make a variety of different things such as cars, construction materials, industrial machinery, drinks cans, and so on. Emissions are caused by the electrodes used in process smelting, the companies Rio Tinto and Alcoa have developed a replacement material that instead of releases CO2, it releases oxygen, helping to substantially cut down on greenhouse gas emissions in aluminium production. This is set to become commercially available around the year 2024
- **Separating chemicals**: Not all chemicals can have a universal solution however, for some end-products, companies can use bioprocessing, separating chemicals with membranes instead of using heating and distillation to lower emissions and save money
- **Low-carbon electrification and heating**: Using low-carbon processors such as heat pumps can continue decarbonising the electricity from the grid. To find out more about renewable energy sources and the Ten Point Plan the UK government is implementing to drive a sustainable and more energy-efficient future with the use of low-carbon approaches, then click [click here](/blog/uk-government-ten-point-plan/ "here") to find out more

Today we explore the four main industry emitters and how the heavy industry can become more energy-efficient to achieve Real Zero.

Real Zero and the Industry

We've previously discussed the [UK's government's plans for the Construction Industry](/blog/uk-government-and-construction-industry/ "UK's government's plans for the Construction Industry"), [Building energy-efficient homes](/blog/building-energy-efficient-homes/ "Building energy-efficient homes"), and [what decarbonisation is](/blog/what-is-decarbonisation/ "what decarbonisation is"). In this article we will be covering decarbonisation for the Construction Industry by answering the following question: **How can the Construction Industry achieve decarbonisation?** Keep reading to learn about how you can lower carbon emissions to help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## HOW CAN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ACHIEVE DECARBONISATION?

In a previous article, [Real Zero and the Industry](/blog/real-zero-and-the-industry/ "Real Zero and the Industry"), we discussed how cement, steel, aluminium, and chemicals are major carbon dioxide emitters contributing to the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. Within the Construction Industry, [11% of carbon emissions are emitted from materials and construction processes](https://www.worldgbc.org/news-media/WorldGBC-embodied-carbon-report-published" "11% of carbon emissions are emitted from materials and construction processes") throughout the whole building's lifecycle. Therefore, with the Construction industry being identified as a major contributor to global warming, the UK government has already developed a defined set of aspirations for UK construction which includes: implementing smart construction and digital design, low carbon and sustainable construction, and an improved trade performance. The plans in which the government have outlined aims to help UK Construction lead the way to a sustainable future.

Furthermore, as more and more people are increasingly living in cities, with the [United Nations]("https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html "United Nations") projecting that by 2050, 68% of all people will live in urban areas. This means that sustainable transportation, energy systems, and other infrastructure is crucial in order for the UK government to reach it's Real Zero targets by 2050. Therefore, to help decarbonisation in the Construction Industry and the for the UK to achieve its zero emissions goal, below we provide a list of things the Construction Industry can do to achieve decarbonisation:

- **Using offsite construction**: Implementing modular design and prefabrication construction means that buildings will take less time to construct compared to traditional builds. Offsite construction allows the Construction Industry to not have to encounter challenges such as on-site weather conditions and scheduling delays. As offsite construction doesn't delay scheduling and takes half the time to build this lowers the amount of carbon emissions being emitted into the atmosphere and waste ending up in landfills
- **Adopting fossil fuel alternatives**: The UK government efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions have entailed replacing fossil fuels with alternative renewable energy sources e.g. windmills, solar panels, battery technology, and heat pumps etc,. The cost of using renewable energy is less expensive compared to using fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. Therefore, generating power and heat from fossil fuels alternatives offers a great way to decarbonise to reduce carbon emissions and meet Real Zero emission targets
- **Producing digital twins for retrofits**: Digital twins can support retrofits and are believed to be the future of retrofitting as they can help the Construction Industry meet their decarbonisation targets as well as future-proof buildings at scale. The UK has introduced its plans for a [National Digital Twin](/blog/national-digital-twin-programme-explained/ "National Digital Twin") to optimise the way we use our infrastructure and plan and predict what is needed to improve our quality of life
- **Incorporating BIM**: Implementing Building Information Modeling (BIM) Levels 2 or 3 can improve project workflow and data management. In 2016, BIM Level 2 was made mandatory in the UK for use on all public sector works. [BIM for construction](/blog/bim-for-construction/ "BIM for construction") helps to deliver more sustainable buildings in a quick and efficient manner. BIM combined with prefabrication and modular design can enable you to assess energy performances and discover cost-effective measures and in turn reduce carbon footprint. It can also helps to create less errors, deliver higher quality projects,  increase collaborativity due to all parties involved in the project being able to access data in a centralised location
- **Incorporating smart technology into buildings**: Installing IoT-sensors and smart devices into buildings can help people to monitor and control their energy usage. Smart devices enable people to do things such as schedule heating,  control the temperature of every room individually, and turn the boiler on and off, and much more helping those occupying the building to also be mindful of their heating, air, electricity, and water consumption
- **Recycling and substituting materials**: Designing materials for dissembling and high-value recycling allows materials to be used again once they have reached their end-of-life. Recycling and substituting materials reduces the need for virgin materials and reduces CO2 emissions. Read our [Real Zero and the Industry](/blog/real-zero-and-the-industry/ "Real Zero and the Industry") to read in more detail on how you can reduce carbon emissions when it comes to the use of cement, steel, aluminium, and chemicals

Find out how the Construction Industry can achieve decarbonisation and lead the way to a more sustainable future, helping the UK to achieve zero emissions by 2050.

Decarbonisation for Construction

When talking about achieving zero emissions by the year 2050, you may have briefly ran into the topic of the Paris Agreement in the articles, [Race to Zero](/blog/race-to-zero/ "Race to Zero"), [Achieving Real Zero Part Two](/achieving-real-zero-part-2/ "Achieving Real Zero Part Two"), and [what is Real Zero?](/blog/what-is-real-zero/ "What is Real Zero?")". The Paris Agreement plays an important role in climate change and in this article we aim to explain what the Paris Agreement is by answering the following questions: **What is the Paris Agreement?** and **How does the Paris Agreement work?** Keep reading to find out all about a universal pledge to climate change to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT IS THE PARIS AGREEMENT?

The Paris Agreement has been implemented by one hundred and six countries at the [United Nations](https://www.un.org/en/climatechange "United Nations") climate conference (COP 21) in Paris in 2015. It is a legally binding international treaty on climate change which entered into force in 2016 and marks the first time that countries on Earth have come together with a universal agreement on constraining greenhouse gas emissions to take action on global warming.

Previously it was agreed that countries need to keep global temperatures from increasing more than 2 degree Celsius (3.6 °F) but in the Paris Agreement, governments are now aiming to keep global temperatures  ‘well below 2 degrees Celsius’, and ‘make efforts’ to keep it below 1.5 degrees Celsius’.

The pledge to constraining greenhouse gas emissions also includes measures for the richer countries to aid poorer countries with financial and technical assistance to prepare for climate change and to achieve the goal of a climate neutral world by mid-century.

## HOW DOES THE PARIS AGREEMENT WORK?

The Paris Agreement lives on a five-year cycle of the climate action that countries have carried out. In 2020, each country outlined, communicated, and submitted their plan of action on how they are going to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, these plans and objectives are also known as the [Nationally Determined Contributions](https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/nationally-determined-contributions-ndcs/nationally-determined-contributions-ndcs "Nationally Determined Contributions") (NDCs).

Specifically, the UK communicated its new NDC on the 12th December 2020 with commitments of the country to [reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% by 2030](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-nationally-determined-contribution-communication-to-the-unfccc#:~:text=On%2012%20December%202020%2C%20the,2030%2C%20compared%20to%201990%20levels "reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% by 2030"), compared to 1990 levels.

This article outlines exactly what the Paris Agreement is, how it works, and the Government's new global temperature target to take climate action.

What is the Paris Agreement?

We have already looked at  [what is 5G](/blog/what-is-5g "what is 5G") and [5G for Construction](/blog/5g-for-construction "5G for Construction"). In this new blog post we are going to be answering the following question: **what are the advantages of using 5G within the Renewable Energy Industry?** Keep reading to find out how 5G for Renewable Energy can help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**.

## WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF USING 5G WITHIN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY INDUSTRY?

As we have explained in other blog articles, implementing 5G for your business will change the way your business operates for you. 5G makes for a greener future with its potential to help improve the energy efficiency of industrial sectors and below we discuss the advantages of using 5G within the Renewable Energy Industry:

  - **Control energy infrastructure**: 5G will be able to handle energy infrastructure helping reduce carbon emissions, energy use, and expenses by being able to turn on and off street lighting when there are no vehicles or pedestrians in the area
  - **Reduce downtime**: 5G will be able to immediately diagnose any breakdowns or issues that occur by the smart grid technology connected by 5G Technology. It will be able to quickly and efficiently find a solution to help the grid get working again
  - **Increase of demand-side management**: by linking energy consuming devices to a smart grid, a boost in demand-side management will be increased helping reduce electricity peaks, energy costs and support load balancing
  - **Improve forecasting**: 5G allows devices to be observed to provide better forecasting of energy needs by allowing various unconnected energy-consuming devices to be incorporated into the grid through low-cost 5G connection
  - **More cost-effective**: with 5G enabling super-fast data transmissions, low latency, and better connectivity compared to the previous 4G Network means each connection takes a reduced amount of time to complete. This will in turn will enable the improvement of saving energy, handling energy generation, transmissions, and cost-effectiveness 
  - **Improve safety**: sensors and networking devices in critical components will enable you to be notified when issues arise for a few examples: when parts are required maintenance or replacement, any interference, or if conditions exceed tolerances. Companies such as wind-based utility businesses will benefit from this as they can then cut down on putting anyone in harm’s way when monitoring and maintaining wind turbines, improving the safety of employees 
  - **Digest large amount of data**: not only does 5G benefit wind-based utility companies but it also supports people working with other sources of energy such as oil and gas. 5G allows for sensors and software run by artificial intelligence (AI) enabling large amounts of real-time data-gathering and output real-time responses helping people to make more informed decisions on issues. This can help the oil and gas industry in the sectors such as upstream, midstream, and downstream
  - **Providing communication and reliability**: in certain climates solar panels have challenges in communication, with intelligent tuning algorithms they can help solar-generated power equipment that are installed on solar farms and rooftops to collect power from the grid and sell power back. Therefore, 5G can help distribute resources in gloomy weather and provide reliability 

To read more about 5G for Property in the West Midlands, please visit the [WM5G’s website](https://global5g.org/news/webinar-report-5g-energy-sector "WM5G’s website").

Learn all about the UK Green Building Council's Net Zero Carbon Building Framework as we outline steps to achieving Net Zero and meeting the Paris Agreement.

Achieving Net-zero Carbon Buildings

[Building energy-efficiente homes](/blog/building-energy-efficient-homes/ "Building energy-efficient homes") and [Decarbonisation](/blog/what-is-decarbonisation/ "Decarbonisation") are aiding the [Net Zero emmissions targets](/blog/race-to-zero/ "Net Zero emissions targets") and recently LHC has launched a new framework. This article will look into the new framework by answering the following questions: **What is the Energy Efficiency Measures & Associated Works framework?** And **what low-carbon solutions do we offer?** Keep reading to find out more about the framework to  **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT IS THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES & ASSOCIATED WORKS FRAMEWORK FRAMEWORK?

The Energy Efficiency Measures & Associated Works framework (N8) launched by a [LHC](https://www.lhc.gov.uk/ "LHC") is a free-to-use guide running until 8th November 2024 that enables landlords, public sector bodies, and local authorities to get specialist suppliers to install energy-efficient measures through two workstreams.

The two workstreams represent:

- **Workstream 1**: This is for individual measures which relate to 21 individual energy efficiency measure
- **Workstream 2**: For multiple measures for the installation of all 21 energy efficiency measures and associated works

Fully OJEU-compliant, it is also suitable for low, medium and high rise housing schemes and public buildings, e.g. schools and colleges. There are currently two procurement guides readily available for you to read in PDF format:

1. [London - Procurement Guide](https://www.lhc.gov.uk/media/pqvb2f5x/lse_ldn_n8_frameworkguide_v1.pdf "London - Procurement guide")
2. [South East - Procurement Guide](https://www.lhc.gov.uk/media/voiknakn/lse_southeast_n8_frameworkguide_v1.pdf "South East - Procurement guide")

The framework's energy efficiency measures cover a variety of insulation types, district heating interface units, solar PV with battery storage, air to water heat pumps, cavity wall insulation, EV charging infrastructure, solar thermal systems, etc. Find the full list [here](https://www.lhc.gov.uk/frameworks/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-measures-associated-works-n8/ "here").

In this article, we explain in simple terms everything about the LHC Energy Efficiency Measures and Associated Works (N8) framework.

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