Picturing Net-Zero

When summer ends and the weather gets cooler, do you have any fall traditions? One of mine is to visit the annual World Press Photo exhibition as it passes through downtown Toronto in October. It’s free to attend, simply by strolling th rough the Allen Lambert Galleria at Brookfield Place, and it’s always fascinating to see which photojournalism and documentar y photography projects, submitted from around the globe, have impressed the World Press Photo Contest’s jur y as the best and most important works of the past year.

well in Iceland. Underground fluids produce steam at the surface to drive turbines and generate electricity. At the same time, the plant captures carbon dioxide (CO2 ) from the process and fixes it within the bedrock, where it can be mineralized.

Another image resembling an information technology (IT) server room depicts a microalgae facility’s photobioreactor. In a carbon-negative process (since microalgae consume CO2 ), the facility— also in Iceland—produces antioxidant-rich food supplements.

Next, a worker harvesting tomatoes stands not in a field, but in an Italian greenhouse. A biogas plant nearby provides 100% of the energy needed for high- efficiency lighting, ensuring sustainable agricultural production; and the controlled environment means there is no need for herbicides or glysophates.

READER SERVICE

Print and digital subscription inquiries or changes, please contact:

Angelita Potal

Tel: 416-510-5113

Fax: (416) 510-6875 email: apotal@annexbusinessmedia.com

Mail: 111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400 Toronto, ON M2H 3R1

EDITOR

Peter Saunders (416) 510-5119 psaunders@ccemag.com

SENIOR PUBLISHER

Maureen Levy (416) 510-5111 mlevy@ccemag.com

MEDIA DESIGNER

Lisa Zambri

EDITORIAL ADVISORS

Darryl Boyce, Todd Busch, Guy Bruce, Andrew Macklin, Sadaf Parvaiz

ACCOUNT CO-ORDINATOR Cheryl Fisher (416) 510-5194 cfisher@annexbusinessmedia.com

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Beata Olechnowicz (416) 510-5182 bolechnowicz@annexbusinessmedia.com

GROUP PUBLISHER

Paul Grossinger (416) 510-5240 pgrossinger@annexbusinessmedia.com

PRESIDENT/COO

Scott Jamieson sjamieson@annexbusinessmedia.com

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER is published 6 times per year by Annex Business Media 111 Gordon Baker Road, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1

Tel: (416) 442-5600

Fax: (416) 510-6875 or (416) 442-2191

This year, one of the winning photographers was Italy’s Simone Tramonte, who captured images of facilities exemplifying ‘energy transition’ efforts toward a net-zero economy. Tramonte’s work, which has been published in Wired , National Geographic and The Guardian, to name a few, focuses on contemporary social and environmental subjects, with an aim to d emonstrate how technology can help improve sustainability. Thus, his photos are relevant to consulting engineers.

For his award-winning long-term project, titled ‘Net-Zero Transition,’ Tramonte travelled from Iceland to Italy between 2020 and 2022, documenting how a variety of companies are striving to reach European Union (EU) targets to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieve net-zero performance by 2050.

Tramonte’s striking imagery helps bring many innovative, little-seen concepts to life. One image that from a distance resembles an igloo actually showcases a geodesic dome over a geothermal power plant’s injection

(And speaking of plant growth, another photo showcases a lab technician examining microbial biofertilizers. The lab is part of an indoor ‘vertical farm’ in Denmark, where fermented plant waste is used to make the fertilizers on-site.)

What may look at first like a satellite dish turns out to be a commercial solar plant in Spain, reportedly the first in the world to promise uninterrupted power all day long to the electrical grid. It does so by collecting and storing solar heat, rather than light. As such, it can operate for up to 15 hours without any sunlight.

These are just a few examples of how Tramonte’s images can catch the eye with cutting-edge engineering efforts. If you would like to view the full series, visit www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/ photo -contest/2023/Simone-Tramonte/1.

Peter Saunders • psaunders@ccemag.com

SCAN CODE TO VISIT CCE’S WEBSITE: Find the latest engineer-related news, stories, blogs and analysis from across Canada

EDITORIAL PURPOSE: Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine covers innovative engineering projects, news and business information for professional engineers engaged in private consulting practice. The editors assume no liability for the accuracy of the text or its fitness for any particular purpose.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Canada, 1 year $66.00, 2 years $106.00. Single copy $8.50 Cdn + taxes. (HST 86717 2652 RT0001). United States $150.00 (CAD). Foreign $172.00 (CAD).

PRINTED IN CANADA. Title registered at Trademarks Office, Ottawa. Copyright 1964. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner(s). Annex Privacy Officer: Privacy@annexbusinessmedia.com Tel: 800-668-2374.

ISSN: 0712-4996 (print), ISSN: 1923-3337 (digital)

POSTAL INFORMATION: Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065710. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept., Canadian Consulting Engineer, 111 Gordon Baker Road, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1.

PRIVACY: From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us. Tel: 1-800-668-2374, fax: 416-5106875 or 416-442-2191, e-mail: vmoore@annexbusinessmedia.com, mail to: Privacy Officer, 111 Gordon Baker Road, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1.

Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Member of Magazines Canada