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INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY Closing in on Net Zero Anticipating the future has never been more important than today. This is true at all levels, planetary, country, organisational and even individual. The technology landscape is evolving, and exciting trends are on the horizon to enable the transition to net zero. Businesses need to develop the ability to understand them and translate them into business strategies. The building blocks are in place, but we need rapid change to spur an upheaval of our energy system in line with the 1.5°C target. We need investment in innovation and technologies across the energy sector, from optimised manning and offshore wind to data and artificial intelligence, creating opportunities for many businesses. Bill Gates expects the emergence of climate technology to generate "eight to ten Teslas, a Google, an Amazon and a Microsoft". In the oil and gas industry, optimised manning and the transition of personnel from hazardous offshore working environments to a more remotely operated onshore model plays a key role in decarbonising the UKCS basin and helping the industry achieve its Vision 2035 net zero objectives. As part of the Net Zero Technology Transition Programme, the Net Zero Technology Centre's Offshore Manning Optimisation (OMO) project will serve as a "lighthouse project" that will both inspire and equip the broader industry with the tools, technology, techniques, and approaches required to successfully employ remote operations technology and optimised manning practices in brownfield operations in the UKCS. The project will cover multiple deliverables from workforce modelling, change management
their use of artificial intelligence, and commercial models to machine learning and robotics. testing technologies such For example, the recent RangL as digital twins, robotics, and 'The Optimal Pathway to Net Zero automated systems. Widespread Luca Corradi by 2050' AI challenge, run by the remote operation of UKCS assets Alan Turing Institute, used classical would result in reduced operational and machine learning techniques and expert cost, extended asset life, improved production knowledge to find optimal deployments for efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions. technologies, such as offshore wind, blue and green hydrogen, and carbon capture and However, 70% of offshore oil and gas CO2 storage (CCS). These technologies will be emissions in the UKCS comes from on-site instrumental in reaching the UK's target of net power generation. To mitigate this, offshore zero by 2050. wind and energy storage technologies for deep water are rapidly developing. The Crown Estate Investment and innovation in hydrogen and Scotland (CES), Innovation and Targeted Oil CCS technologies will be vital to decarbonise and Gas (INTOG) leasing round will enable the manufacturing sector. The UK's Hydrogen offshore wind development specifically to Strategy identified hydrogen as a key solution provide low carbon electricity to power oil in decarbonising hard-to-abate industries, and gas installations by the mid-2020s. This including chemicals, cement, steel and iron. leasing round offers a collaborative opportunity in Scottish waters to decarbonise oil and gas Decarbonising these sectors is a monumental operations. The projects will enable project undertaking essential to meeting net zero developers and the supply chain to advance targets. To help realise the ambition, Scotland's technology development and gain experience Net Zero Roadmap (SNZR) project, part of a in advance of ScotWind, which pledged a multigovernment funded challenge, aims to develop billion-pound supply chain investment in 17 a roadmap setting out how Scotland's industrial Scottish offshore wind projects. These projects clusters can move towards net zero by 2040. will also support the delivery of decarbonisation The project explores a set of decarbonisation targets within the North Sea Transition Deal scenarios, including hydrogen generation, (NSTD) and Offshore Wind Sector Deal and be CCUS, fuel switching, and electrification, to a key enabler of Scotland's energy transition ensure the most appropriate technologies are ambition. They will unlock investment, create selected and implemented at the right time. export opportunities, and kickstart innovation. The project focuses on a cluster of industrial activity on the East Coast of Scotland, including Data will be a key enabler to achieve net zero. many of the largest industrial sites, equating to The development of digitally enabled smart 80% of Scotland's industrial CO2 emissions. cities around the world has demonstrated the value of integrating, visualising, and analysing All of these technologies are evolving, but the data from multi-sectoral monitoring devices pace is too slow. The International Energy Agency to optimise the efficiency of city operations (IEA) states that the development of most clean and services, minimise environmental impact, energy technologies is lagging behind. and connect to citizens. Also, part of the Net Zero Technology Transition Programme, the As government and policymakers spark the Data for Net Zero (D4NZ) project, is a first requirement for innovation, organisations for the offshore energy sector, delivering the must be agile enough to adjust and transform, world's first Smart Energy Basin. Utilising an embrace technology, and make decisions integrated suite of data science, visualisation based on trusted data and analysis. and modelling tools, the Smart Energy Basin Companies that can embrace change, and will be a digital copy of the entire energy basin. adjust accordingly, will thrive. The Net Zero It will be utilised to accelerate a range of Technology Centre helps companies navigate cross-sectoral decision-making approaches for trends and developments to help create their energy integration. roadmap to net zero. While digital technology has come a long way, During these times of change, risk and the best is yet to come. Many companies are opportunity, agile must become a mindset. investing in digital technologies, increasing
