Energy sobriety and efficiency: signs of a transformation in progress
COP27 is another opportunity for public and private stakeholders to tackle the consequences of climate change.
The situation is becoming increasingly urgent, year after year. We urgently have to reduce our emissions, and we urgently have to change the way we produce things, the way we consume and the way we travel. And one of the virtues of these conferences is that they are a stark reminder of what our responsibilities are. It is vital that we keep our commitments.
We all need to take action – at all levels. Modestly, but collectively – every fraction of a degree of temperature increase that we can avoid counts. This is why Equans has signed the Ecowatt charter in France and implemented its own sobriety plan wherever the company operates in the world. In addition, experts in the installation and maintenance of technical equipment, Equans employees – together with those of Bouygues Energies & Services – have a key role to play in helping manufacturers, building managers and public bodies make the best possible use of the energy that they consume, to achieve an efficient and orderly transition.
To enable towns and cities to be greener and to consume less energy, we are leveraging our smart energy and digital solutions.
- In Angers, as a way of reducing the town's environmental footprint while at the same time improving quality-of-life for its residents, a hypervision platform has been introduced to monitor municipal services (lighting, waste collection, mobility, etc.). This way, resources can be efficiently managed.
- In Washington DC, Equans is helping to modernise more than 75,000 streetlights. By converting the whole network over to high-energy-efficient LEDs and monitoring them remotely, energy consumption will be halved and 38,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions will be avoided every year.
To make public and private buildings greener and cut the amount of energy they use, we design and maintain facilities, equipping them with both short-term and long-term solutions to reduce their carbon footprints.
- At the Haribo confectionery factory in Marseille, a refrigeration system with heat recovery has helped reduce the amount of energy needed to produce hot water by 80%.
- In the UK, we have installed heat pumps for the heating systems of 364 housing units in seven buildings. This will cut CO2 emissions over a 20-year period by some 2.6 million tonnes.
To support decision-makers and regional planners in developing renewable energy networks and sustainable transport systems, we provide the most appropriate solutions designed to cater to the specific features of these regions.
- In Senegal, we have been involved in electrifying a 40 km section of track on the first regional express line between Dakar and Diamniadio. The result is a 7 to 10 times greater reduction in CO2 emissions per passenger compared with travelling by car.
- In Belgium, as part of a sustainability strategy, the port of Ostend has ordered automated dock-side electricity power cabinets for fishing boats and inland navigation boats. This will both cut CO2 emissions and help reduce sound pollution.
Decarbonising activities across the entirety of their life cycle, digitalising processes, ensuring durable infrastructure and maximising transport performance are all key to guaranteeing a society in which both people and organisations can continue to thrive.
Thank you to our engineers and technicians for the practical initiative they take each and every day, because they really embody the various transformations underway.