Our new report, “FIT FOR NET – ZERO: 55 Tech Quests to accelerate Europe’s recovery and pave the way to climate neutrality”, is commissioned by Breakthrough Energy. It provides a practical action plan and investment guide for policy makers and investors, to help stimulate economic transition at the speed and scale needed to avoid the worst effects of climate change. With its 55 actionable recommendations for financial support, it targets the utilization of the European Commission’s €750 billion recovery fund, and other innovation funding vehicles, to transform Europe’s economy and set it on course for climate neutrality by 2050.
This report investigates and analyzes existing and future technologies across five core economic domains: energy, building and construction, transportation, food and land use. Capgemini Invent (see below for script1) worked with over 100 eminent innovators, entrepreneurs, corporate strategists and policy makers, to identify the 55 high impact climate technologies most likely to deliver transformational results, at speed and scale.
These 55 quests provide a balanced mix to energize and engage all areas of the European economy and regions. More than 200 individual projects were examined, each with differing levels of technological maturity, to assess their transformational potential and readiness for investment support and the resulting 55 choices have impacts in the five sectors summarised below.
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Buildings
The building sector is one of the most significant sources of CO₂e emissions in Europe. 28 billion square meters of floor space generates 1,100 MtCO₂e (600 MtCO₂e direct emissions, 500 MtCO₂e for electricity) that must be cut down over 80% to just 200 MtCO₂e by 2050. Of this, 430 MtCO₂e in direct emissions come from Europe’s 20 billion square meters of residential space. Our Building report looks at how automating and streamlining construction processes to deep renovation can help accelerate our delivery of net-zero emissions.
Energy
Using fossil fuels has major drawbacks, not least that their combustion emits greenhouse gases. Also a considerable portion of energy is wasted, mostly heat in combustion processes, power plants and due to high-temperatures. Our Energy report looks at the solutions and projects to scale up towards the net-zero target, from new generation solar modules and bifacial panels to large-scale hydrogen production and combined solar generation, storage, and grid.
Food and Land Use
Our report looks at the key challenges and the recommended technologies and projects to reducing the environmental impact of the whole agricultural value chain from farm to fork to cut down emissions by 20% in 2030 and 50% in 2050 to boost systemic change to reach net – zero emissions.
Industry
Achieving a low carbon industry is of paramount importance, not only to reach the 2050 carbon neutrality target, but also to allow economic growth for EU companies and workers. Our report focuses on solutions for the steel and cement industries, responsible for 30% of emissions.
Transport
Transportation in its many forms currently produces over 1,200 MtCO2e per year, 30% of total emissions in the EU. Liquid fossil fuels drive most air, marine, road and rail movements. Our Transport report looks at solutions for clean alternatives, supported by giga scale battery and charging infrastructure from scaling up green c-liquid fuel production for aviation and long distance shipping to ammonia fueled vessels.