Opinion: Decarbonisation hubs must accelerate tech transfer to realise net zero carbon future

Decarbonisation hubs by themselves do not solve problems. While recent announcements by State and Federal governments — like the Clean Energy Training and Research Institute linked to the Pilbara Hydrogen Hub, the Green Tech Hub and the Zero Net Emissions Agriculture Cooperative Research Centre — should be welcome news, a focused effort on commercialisation and technology transfer will be needed if a net zero carbon future is to be realised. So, why is decarbonisation a big deal? In order to achieve the lower than 2C increase in average surface temperature by 2050, the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions between 2011 and 2050 need to be kept to under 1100 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). However, when last measured in calendar year 2021, the total greenhouse gas emissions emitted globally reached 50.1Gt of CO2e — an increase from about 35Gt in 2000. At the industry level in 2021, the agriculture sector (20 per cent), mining and manufacturing (29 per cent) and the energy sector (29 per cent) contributed to more than 75 per cent of these emissions. In the same year, total emissions by global organisations such as Rio Tinto (584 million tonnes CO2e), BHP (418 million tonnes CO2e) and Chevron (672 million tonnes of CO2e) were significant. It’s important to note that a large proportion of these emissions, in some cases more than 90 per cent, are scope three emissions which are not in direct control of the businesses. These data points reveal the depth of the decarbonisation challenge. Technology is one medium that can help tackle decarbonisation. The World Economic Forum points to the need for technology adoption to enable a reduction of at least 8 per cent emissions in the energy sector. It is also estimated that the application of AI can have a positive effect of up to 16 per cent across industrial sectors by 2030. Despite such acknowledgement, the International Energy Agency says the pace of technology advancement is very slow as a result of which 50 per cent of the technologies that are needed to tackle the carbon challenge by 2050 are only in prototype stage today. Hence the need for accelerated innovation. If we look at renewable energy technologies, in 2021, only 28 per cent of global electricity supply was generated from renewable energy sources which grew at less than one per cent annually over the preceding 10 years. The modern solar panel as we know it powered only 4.5 per cent of electricity generation in 2022. When this slow rate of clean technology adoption is superimposed against the continuously growing volumes of CO2e emissions, it is plain to see the challenge of achieving global net zero by 2050 is a mammoth task, if not impossible if the status quo prevails. Sector specifically, the agricultural sector has lacked the ability to scale technologies as a whole. The ability to implement significant carbon sequestration strategies, improving means of data collection, monitoring soil conditions through remote sensing technologies, precision farming, big data approaches, and drone technologies are some areas where pockets of excellence exist but implementation has not yet scaled fully. The recent Agrifutures EvokeAG summit in Perth showcased a range of agtech solutions available for the sector but there was limited discussion on how these technologies could be scaled. If research shows that with more precise application of nitrogen fertiliser to corn crops farmers in the US could save up to 50 per cent of nitrogen application, resulting in less than 50 per cent nitrous oxide emissions, why then is the use of precision farming technologies such as drones for fertiliser application not mainstream yet? What is the route to scaling up? Are there experiences from which to extract insights? At the Food Innovation Precinct WA, the establishment of Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies powered by the solar micro grid is just one case in point in how technology applications can be commercialised to benefit manufacturing businesses. Technology development needs to match efforts with technology commercialisation. Partnerships with larger corporations, technology transfer pilot programs, and improved pathways to market need acceleration. Cargill’s SustainConnect program in partnership with tech provider RegrowAG, to help canola farmers with remote sensing, crop and soil health modelling, supports lower carbon farming practices. Such initiatives need to be scaled across the sector. Programmatically, a studio model has also emerged to aid scale up. Beanstalk Agtech and the creation of its Drought Venture Studio is one such example. The Studio model scours technologies, sources investment and delivers program services for longer durations as opposed to traditional incubator-like programs. Adopting the form of a silent co-founder, the model also aids collaboration with stakeholders such as government bodies and sector-specific businesses to aid tech transfer and scale up. Beyond awareness-raising and education initiatives, hubs focused on the task of decarbonisation need to ensure a core emphasis on commercialisation and technology transfer. Creating purpose-led opportunities for pilot demonstration, scale-up projects and exploring the relevance of decarbonising technology applications across sectors — for example, application of drone technologies from mining into agriculture — should also be harnessed. Identifying, attracting and localising global tech for the needs of critical industry in WA is also needed. Most importantly the program must ensure there is a concerted effort to use technologies to capture, measure and manage emissions within businesses. As the saying goes, to manage you need to measure. Dr Chris Vas is general manager of the Food Innovation Precinct WA.