Reducing carbon emissions for hard-to-electrify industries
March 24, 2025
Hydrogen, carbon capture, and nuclear power can help heavy industries to decarbonize their energy infrastructure. Here’s how.
The energy transition is driving our industries to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. After all, they want to play a role in reaching the world’s ambitious net zero targets, too. This is true for almost every industry. From buildings and construction to manufacturing, mining, and transportation, our industries are making strides in their decarbonization efforts.
Much of the focus on the energy transition has been on renewable energy sources. But some of the industries noted above are incredibly energy intensive. They aren’t yet suited for electrification or able to function with the intermittent nature of renewables like wind and solar. This means they must still largely rely on traditional fossil fuel sources to operate. But that leads to significant GHGs. So, how can we reduce the emissions of these industries when complete electrification and renewables aren’t feasible? We have a few ideas.
There are a few incredible tools in our decarbonization toolshed that can provide us with reliable energy where and when we need it. Hydrogen can allow us to decarbonize our transportation sector. Carbon capture can lessen the GHG impact of our power generation facilities. And nuclear power can reduce our carbon footprint when it comes to mining and, increasingly, data centers.
In this story, we outline how we can decarbonize our heavy industries. Even when electrification and renewable energy might not be possible.
Exploring hydrogen solutions, carbon capture technologies, and nuclear power can help our heavy and hard-to-electrify industries to decarbonize.
Hydrogen buses to decarbonize our transit fleets – Nathan Ashcroft
For the last several years, my focus in the energy industry has been on hydrogen. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. Fortunately for us, it also happens to be a great energy carrier. It can be used as part of energy infrastructure while emitting no GHGs into the atmosphere. I should note that hydrogen can—and likely will—be used across our industries. More specifically, it will be used to decarbonize our heavy and hard-to-abate industries like cement or steel production. But here I’d like to focus on the transportation sector, which accounts for up to 25% of global GHG emissions.
As of late, many cities have been looking at ways to decarbonize their mass transit operations. Initially, this led them down the path of considering electric buses. Transitioning to electric buses can be a great option for zero-emission transit—depending on the climate. In cities that experience colder temperatures and/or harsh winter seasons, challenges could arise. Firstly, temperature can impact how long electric buses hold a charge, which on the best of days is approximately 150 miles (240 kilometers). Not exactly a long distance. But secondly, these electric buses might still in part use energy from traditional fossil fuel sources. And we want to eliminate those as much as we can.
That’s why I believe that hydrogen buses will play a significant role in decarbonizing our bus fleets, particularly in cooler climates. Hydrogen buses have fuel cells that convert hydrogen fuel into electricity. That electricity is then used power the buses. Hydrogen fuel is almost twice as efficient as gasoline. And it doesn’t come with the associated carbon emissions. Plus, when compared to electric buses, hydrogen-fueled buses can go much farther. That means longer routes are possible before the need to refuel, leading to a more efficient transportation plan. Hydrogen also isn’t as sensitive when it comes to cold temperatures as electric buses are—another key consideration for some cities.
Heading forward, I expect that hydrogen buses will become a bigger part of the conversation around decarbonizing mass transit. But there are still questions that transit operators will have to figure out. Where will they get the hydrogen? How is it produced? Should they produce their own hydrogen on site? Or have it delivered by a provider? Luckily, some of the infrastructure we already have can be retrofitted to support hydrogen. But it will take robust partnerships and significant planning, investment, and commitment to develop this hydrogen economy. Doing so can reduce the carbon footprint of our transportation sector.
Hydrogen buses could play a significant role in decarbonizing our bus fleets.
Carbon capture to reduce emissions of conventional power generation – Daniel Swanberg
Reliable power is amongst some of the most basic things that people need for their everyday lives. I’m based out of Houston, Texas. I’ve seen firsthand the challenges our City has faced when extreme weather events like Hurricane Beryl or Winter Storm Uri have impacted our power supply. We need those systems to be reliable. But we also need them to be more sustainable.
Power generation is an incredibly energy-intensive industry. And it is also considered mission critical. It can’t rely solely on the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. Oftentimes, this means power generation facilities must still operate off traditional non-renewable energy sources. Obviously, this can lead to significant GHG emissions. But not if we implement carbon capture technologies or low-carbon solutions.
We all want to reduce emissions and leave a cleaner planet for future generations. But the energy transition won’t happen overnight.
Power generation facilities can capture carbon right at the source, either pre- or post-combustion. Each has its own benefits and disadvantages. Pre-combustion is used predominantly when capturing carbon at coal-fired power plants. How’s it work? High temperatures and significant pressure separate out the carbon dioxide (CO2) prior to combustion, leaving a hydrogen-rich mixture as the fuel. Pre-combustion carbon capture is efficient but can be rather expensive. So, economic investment—and hopefully federal grants and incentives—are needed. Post-combustion carbon capture removes CO2 from the emissions after the fuel has been burned. This method is not as efficient. However, it can be used to modernize our existing facilities without having to build anew.
Some industries can function through electrification or using exclusively renewable energy. But some can’t yet. When it comes to power production, we need consistency. And that often means reliable baseload generation through traditional energy sources. Carbon capture can help us reduce the emissions of that power generation. And the technology is constantly evolving. I expect this to continue with innovation and cost reductions in the market. It is my hope that more conventional power plants will implement these strategies as part of their decarbonization efforts.
Power generation is an incredibly energy-intensive industry. And it is also considered mission critical. It can’t rely solely on the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources.
Reconsidering nuclear power for mine sites and data centers – Jag Singh
I was born and raised in the United Kingdom, but I’ve been a Canadian for several years now. One thing I brought with me when I hopped across the pond was my passion and interest for nuclear power. A lot of folks still have questions—or even objections—to nuclear power. But that’s really starting to change lately. Why? Because if we hope to keep up with energy demands AND reduce emissions, we need a dependable supplement for traditional fossil fuels.
I believe nuclear power can be our answer. This is especially true with the recent advancements of small modular reactors (SMRs). SMRs can provide us with a reliable baseload generation capacity while emitting no GHGs. That makes them a great fit for our heavy and hard-to-electrify industries. More specifically, SMRs can help us power industries like mining operations and data centers more sustainably.
Mining activity must increase significantly if we hope to procure the critical minerals and metals that are necessary for the energy transition. But mine sites require a substantial amount of energy to operate. They are also often in remote settings with few options for power delivery or energy generation. By implementing an SMR program, many mine operators could reduce their use of fossil fuels while reliably powering operations and facilities. SMRs could also revolutionize hauling operations. The haul trucks at most mines run off diesel fuel, leading to significant GHGs. Nuclear power could allow these mines to transition toward electric fleets, charged with carbon-free nuclear energy.
Another market that could benefit from nuclear power is our data centers. And companies like Microsoft and Amazon are already looking into it. This is because data centers also require a significant amount of power to function. Plus, they’re considered mission critical and run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The demand for data centers is only on the rise—they are expected to be the highest consumer of energy in the next 10-20 years. So, we must find a way to power them, both reliably and sustainably. That makes them a great fit for nuclear power, whether conventional nuclear or SMRs. This source of energy can completely replace the need for fossil fuels and provide the consistency these facilities demand.
As energy demands rise in the face of more stringent emissions targets, it is my hope that more industries look towards nuclear power as an energy solution. The technology is constantly improving, and nuclear power is becoming safer and more sustainable than ever before.
If we hope to keep up with energy demands and reduce emissions, we need a dependable supplement for traditional fossil fuels. Nuclear could be the answer.
Reducing emissions for cleaner future
We all want to reduce emissions and leave a cleaner planet for future generations. But the energy transition won’t happen overnight. And we also know that electrification or functioning with renewable energy might not be feasible for every industry. At least not yet.
Exploring hydrogen solutions, carbon capture technologies, and nuclear power can help our heavy and hard-to-electrify industries to decarbonize. These are important industries for our communities, and we need them. Making these efforts may mean significant investment into the energy infrastructure of these industries, but considering these alternatives can lead to a cleaner and more resilient future.
Reach out to our teams to learn more.