What do climate mitigation and adaptation, electric vehicle infrastructure, smart grids and urban farming have in common? Yes, all are essential in the energy transition. Yes, all require significant tech advancements. And yes, all are shaping the future of one of the largest tech giants in the world.
Intel is perhaps most famous for the creation of semiconductors for CPUs, but is looking to power tech that will aid in the energy transition. Image credit: StockStudio Aerials / Shutterstock
Whether we can admit it or not, the energy transition will require collaboration between industries and governments. As global powers set their sights on concrete climate goals, every organisation - large and small - has their part to play.
Read more: Intel lays out its plans for net-zero
This is shaping the new perspective of US tech giant Intel, which is looking to graduate from being simply a chip producer to a key innovator in technologies that will drive a sustainable future.
As part of its RISE 2030 scheme, the firm has pledged, among others, to use 100% renewable energy and net-positive water use across its operations by the end of the decade. It will work towards ensuring every part of its business, both upstream and downstream on its supply chains, is fully decarbonised and sustainable by 2040.
It even made number one on Barron's 100 most sustainable companies in 2021.
"At the heart of it is a focus on responsibility, inclusiveness, sustainability and enabling other companies to also make significant changes", Intel's General Manager for Energy Michael Bates told Industry Europe.
"Responsibility means taking what's good about our company and applying it to the world's major problems; inclusiveness means ensuring that no one - big or small is left out of these changes and ensuring all can be a part of the change; sustainability is obviously at the heart of many companies, but it primarily pertains to how we can enable and help other companies reduce their emissions and become greener or utilise better tech.
"At Intel, we're also really good with acronyms", he added.
The RISE scheme is at the core of the firm's climate plans as it is looking at investing in technologies that have the greatest effect on the greatest number of people.
Its experiences have helped it come up with a plan for achieving net-zero.
Smart grids
The largest area that Intel is working on in its climate goals is smart grid modernisation, particularly in Europe. The tech giant has been working with companies like Iberdrola in Spain or Enerdis in France to bring edge computing to the continent and "digitalise" their grids.
Energy grids have typically been built to allow for a one-way flow of power from centralised power plants, nuclear plants and coal plants on "the far edge of the grid", which is then distributed through the network. Simply put, slight decentralisation of energy grids is required.
Bates says newer forms of energy - particularly those at the edge of the grid, the point where consumers connect to receive energy - should be integrated into modern grids. Many grids were not built for this purpose, so the tech, he says, needs something of an overhaul.
Read more: Intel launches first phase of €80bn EU chip plan
In essence, this could make grids more sustainable and reliable because there are multiple prongs of generation, which can prevent shutdowns during disruptions, such as severe weather.
What Intel has been bringing to Europe is a technology platform that sits inside the substation that handles load balancing through AI and autonomous decision-making in a way that current technology doesn't. In practice, it tracks energy signals both from the centralised plants and downstream on the grid.
He compared the system to a seesaw in need of balancing - with the market, as he described it, choosing which electricity system is consumed at any given time. For example, his native Austin, Texas suffered a massive snowstorm last winter and technology such as this could have prevented power outages, which were a cause of deaths during the crisis.
"If you can't get power to consumers, then a grid isn't serving its purpose and it doesn't matter how much power you have from the other side", he said. "Utilising the edge of the grid, and technology that makes this possible can fill the gaps when needed".
This type of grid utilisation could also potentially allow members of the public who self-generate power - something which is on the rise in some countries, bringing overall energy costs down - to deliver their excess power onto the grid. It all adds up, and millions of people doing the same creates a lot of extra power.
Advances in energy storage could also allow for individuals to have backups in case of emergencies.
Both the private and public sectors should work together to ensure everyone has the ability to generate their own electricity while ensuring that no one goes without power, Bates stated.
According to Bates, the technology could also be used to create microgrids to help companies ramp up their climate pledges. The same theory applies here, and companies could also contribute to local or national grids.
Smart buildings, factories and other Industry 4.0 concepts could also play a role. Many of the processes for the energy transition are linked in some way.
Fast charging
Another essential component of the energy transition is the electrification of transport, the rise of new forms of urban mobility and the phasing out of fossil fuels.
To this end, the firm is working with other tech companies such as ABB or General Electric, on the development of fast chargers to ensure everyone who needs one can access quick and easy charging. There are concerns that significant portions of the population will not have access to EV charging, which has led to a number of schemes to bolster offerings.
Read more: Intel pledges $500 million towards women-owned businesses
More specifically, Intel is targeting stations that allow users to charge their cars in 10-15 minutes. To do this, it is looking into three specific types of technology: the charger itself, systems to ensure the chargers are efficient and reliable, and integration into grids.
Electric vehicle charging. Credit: buffaloboy / Shutterstock
Fast charging stations could completely overhaul the gas station experience to become a more social affair. Image credit: buffaloboy / Shutterstock
"If you think about how it works today, you pull up to a gas station, you're there for two-to-three minutes while refilling your car and you're gone, but being there for 10-15 minutes is very different", he says.
This brings up a valid point and could be a reason why retail chains like Costa in the UK, Mcdonald's and others have forged partnerships with charging developers, such as seen with InstaVolt's large hub in Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Charging could be made "part of the experience" at these outlets, and entire business ecosystems could develop around them.
"Personally I'd want to charge my car at a place where I can grab a coffee or read a newspaper, but I think the jury's still out on whether this will be the case for most places", he added.
Urban farming
A more experimental angle Intel is playing in the energy transition is the potential rise of so-called urban farming - a potential method to localise agriculture supply chains, which were hit particularly hard during the pandemic. Effectively, farms will be located on spare land in cities or towns and will serve that specific city or town, and perhaps some nearby settlements.
The idea is to bring farming closer to consumers, and it will utilise a number of up-and-coming technologies such as robotics, agtech, and AI - all fuelled by renewables, although this is currently in its early stages.
Not only will this help alleviate potential food shortages in the wake of another global crisis, or as the population continues to rise without proper management, but also bring agriculture in line with the circular economy in more ways than one.
Bates suggests that every part of agriculture could be utilised. "Waste could be turned into biofuels which could make farms self-sufficient power-wise and water could be recycled", he said.
The details for urban farming - particularly those relying on renewable grids - is very much still in the concept stage, but it could work in a similar way to rooftop farming (pictured) or urban allotments, but on a larger scale. Image credit: YuRi Photolife / Shutterstock
This could also help deal with so-called "food deserts": areas without easy access to fresh food, which will only get worse as climate change becomes more severe.
"We have partners who are ensuring that food grown in these areas caters specifically to the local communities, while also looking into community-driven plots that supplement these urban farms.
"In addition, companies are also looking at educating people in these communities about the food - not just how to grow it, but also how to cook it, and the importance of a proper diet", he added.
Fortunately, these dry areas also see a lot of sunshine, offering an opportunity for solar panels to power the operations.
Read more: Supply chains for a sustainable future: IE talks with Intel's Megan Stowe
"This should be a global thing, but we'll be looking at focusing on areas most at risk from faltering supply chains", Bates confirmed. "There are many places where this kind of technology will work, which will help us in our demos".
Naturally, Intel will take its RISE ethos and ensure it is ripe for scaling up and improvement. Under current plans, private urban farms will work with public community gardens to fill in the gaps in the food supply. However, new technologies such as solar panel glass, which could lead to smart greenhouses, really highlight the potential for this sector.
Water management
Part of climate adaptation means turning potential extreme weather hazards to your benefit. Water management systems are an interesting burgeoning technology for several reasons, including the fact that water is a finite resource that could spark future wars as supply becomes more scarce.
Intel has pledged to "net-positive water use" by 2030 as part of its RISE goals, meaning that by this goal, the firm will aim to replenish more water than it uses.
This will be done through treatment, where the water can be reintroduced to the communities that need it the most. In 2021, the firm claims it conserved 9.3 billion gallons of water - roughly 99% of its use - that was directed back to communities in need.
There have been concerns raised that big corporations are actively contributing to the water shortages, with perhaps the most infamous cases being food and beverage firms like Coca-Cola and Nestlé diverting water sources away from villages or polluting them through their manufacturing and the dumping of waste.
However, Intel is opting to develop technology that conserves water, as part of its "corporate purpose to create world-changing technology that enriches the lives of every person on earth".
Ensuring water is not wasted and goes where it needs could also have significant benefits for biodiversity, an area Intel is also making waves in, particularly in places at risk of desertification.
However, on the other side of the coin, is the increasing threat of floods and extreme weather as sea levels continue to rise. For example, in July 2021, the UK saw widespread flash floods that left nine stations in the London Underground filled with water. As cities in the developed world have continued to grow, natural flood prevention has been shut off, putting millions of people at risk.
Proper water management is the key to this, Bates revealed. "Water utilities are being inundated with storm events they've never seen before and I don't think their systems are equipped to deal with it or track when they're coming", he said.
"We're working on deploying systems in water systems to track them in real-time, along with weather diagnostics, to create a sort of early warning system, that could better allow settlements to prepare and tackle these challenges".
Of course, this means extra infrastructure will have to be built to pump or deposit the water in less hazardous places or integrate stormwater into treatment systems that could reuse it.
"Eventually, the technology could exist meaning that cities can actually control the effects of the storm through processes such as diversion.
"There already exist reservoirs, gullies, and gates that utilities can divert it to, which could also present an opportunity to treat and reuse the water for local communities.
"However, the first thing to set up is some kind of early warning system, from which future technologies can be based", he added.
Greenhouse gas emissions
Intel has already pledged to become net-zero by 2040, but the struggle could be in ensuring its partners are also actively tackling their climate goals.
The incentives here are threefold, Bates revealed: Intel itself will ensure partners are working to reduce their environmental impacts. In addition, he claims investment firms are increasingly ensuring they only invest in sustainable firms and will look at whether companies continually audit to ensure goals are being met. This is particularly true for heavy industries such as steel, construction and transport.
The third and final incentive is optics - regular people will be more likely to use the services of or buy goods from, more sustainable firms if recent trends towards conscious consumption continue. He also believes people are more willing to work for eco-friendly companies.
"Intel will also stand in to do front-end audits on partners to assess their carbon footprints and sustainability strategies. Then, with these third parties, we create strategies for them to get where they desire", Bates added.
"This would include things like smart data centres, smart factories, or any of the technologies mentioned. Monitoring tools will be used to collate this data, which these firms can show to potential investors, so they can show they're worthy of continued funding".
"We are also working with utilities across the globe to co-develop new frameworks, including AI-powered computing, to allow for existing energy infrastructure to transport or utilise renewable energy".
Read more: A new golden age for nuclear in Britain?
He also believes people are more willing to work for eco-friendly companies.
"Speaking as an older person, I feel a bit responsible for the climate issues, so personally I'd also want to work for a business willing to look after the planet - who are not just interested in profit.
"You can still make profits while being green, so I feel like this is another way that industry will shift", he concluded.
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