Net Zero Navigator 2024

1. Carbon reporting and measurement

Carbon reporting will move beyond mandatory requirements with automation making it quicker than ever

Alex Avila Director of Decarbonisation Consulting

In 2024, it will no longer be enough to only report on carbon to remain compliant.

The problem with mandatory-only reporting is that organisations do it once or twice a year. They record their carbon footprint and then nothing happens for another year until it’s recorded again. It’s not enough to make real change. Little wonder stakeholders are demanding ongoing carbon reporting, plus transparency with the results.

Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions that accumulate across an organisation’s supply chain. These aren’t currently included in most mandatory reporting requirements and there isn’t a standardised way of measuring them. But that won’t be the case for much longer. Scope 3 will become mandatory and enforceable. So, it’s important for organisations looking to make an impact, and gain a competitive advantage, to start measuring supply chain emissions sooner rather than later.

For many customers the main barriers to voluntary reporting are:

• Cost vs opportunity
  Many would rather spend the money elsewhere as they can’t see the value in the opportunity.
• Cost and complexity of implementation
  Implementing voluntary reporting across an organisation, over all operations and with everyone on board is complicated and often expensive.
• Capture and management of data sources across the organisation
  Organisations need a reliable system that enables dynamic, automated reporting, with comprehensive data giving a complete picture of carbon emissions.

There is an increasing need to report on carbon reduction programmes as a whole, determining how net zero will be achieved through specific initiatives. But while progress is monitored, tweaking the strategy to reach net zero should become part of the process. Reporting should be less about a snapshot of carbon emissions at any single point over the year, and more about how performance is tracking against the end goal of decarbonisation.

It’s important for organisations looking to make an impact, and gain a competitive advantage, to start measuring supply chain emissions.

My advice over the next 12 months is this: you don’t have to roll out automated carbon reporting to your whole organisation on day one. Start with a team, a department, a region or a function. Not every problem has to be solved before implementing a smarter reporting system. Start small, test your new systems and iron out any issues that do crop up before expanding.

3. Energy consumption

AI will be critical to reducing energy consumption – but some caution is needed

Elliott Bermudez Head of Energy Advisory & Risk Management

AI’s impact on decarbonisation will soar — and that’s because it has massive benefits.

We’re adopting it and customers are certainly embracing it, but we also have to be aware of challenges in the energy market that are driving that growth.

AI can of course accurately forecast energy supply and demand, increasing reliability by preventing grid failures and enabling huge scale digitalisation.

But AI isn’t just something that is there, ready to go. It needs to be developed as it grows and, if we aren’t careful, it’s going to become a huge drain on organisations’ energy consumption. We need the power to fuel this tech-enabled future, and in this we find both a challenge and an opportunity.

AI can accurately forecast energy supply and demand, increasing reliability by preventing grid failures and enabling huge scale digitalisation.

While AI can help organisations understand their energy consumption habits, it’s also incredibly resource intensive. Providing adequate power for the technology of tomorrow will be difficult to do cheaply if you don’t have the right energy strategy in place. So, embracing AI will be critical for reducing consumption, but be sure your organisation has thought about how to mitigate the corresponding costs and energy use.

5. Energy generation

Prepare for the new energy mantra: Reduce. Flex. Generate.

Alan Whitefield Head of Energy Markets Research

In energy terms, things aren’t going back to normal. The cost of energy isn’t likely to fall to pre-pandemic levels. And the energy price instability we’ve seen recently will continue, with further energy crises every few years.

As a result, more organisations will need to find ways to reduce their reliance on the national grid and lower their exposure to global energy market volatility.

We predict many adopting a three-step approach to secure their energy supply:

1. Reduce
   Firstly, the less energy organisations consume, the less vulnerable they are to sector volatility. So it makes sense to implement simple consumption reduction measures like LED and energy-saving light bulbs.
2. Flex
   Secondly, being flexible and agile in the response to the fluctuating energy market. This means an organisation’s consumption patterns will vary day-to-day, and even hour-to-hour, according to changing energy costs. While organisations are unlikely to shut down entire sites for hours at a time, a flexible response to the energy market will become more common. For example, retailers will close quiet stores an hour earlier to reduce power costs.
3. Generate
   Thirdly, investing in self-generation, as well as power purchase agreements, renewables and battery solutions. For example, solar panels are now much more widely available and more organisations will install them to reduce reliance on the national grid. It will only be a few more years before panels populate the last suitable rooftops.

Organisations will need to find ways to reduce their reliance on the national grid.

Ultimately following the new energy mantra of ‘Reduce.Flex.Generate’ will help organisations withstand the complex energy market ahead.

7. Transport

Despite issues with EV infrastructure, proceeding with confidence will be essential to meet transition deadlines

Matt Dale Head of Transport Consulting

Organisations that have started to implement their EV transition are well placed compared to those who are hesitating.

There are lots of legitimate concerns about how to roll out EVs effectively. Limited driving range, workplace charging port installations, the lack and cost of public charging and accessible charging for vans are all big worries. The lack of legislation detailing where infrastructure can go at a depot or a workplace, or how drivers should be reimbursed for charging and parking costs, is also becoming more of an issue.

But globally, around half the vehicles on roads are operated by businesses. Figures for 2023 show 75% of new EV registrations are by organisations or fleet operators. So, organisations now have to think about solving these problems.

For concerns regarding EV range, organisations should conduct assessments of their daily needs. Many electric vehicles do have sufficient range for everyday routes. And with advancements in battery technology, organisations can be assured that travelling ranges will continue to increase.

Limited driving range, workplace charging port installations, the lack and cost of public charging and accessible charging for vans are all big worries.

By increasing the number of charging ports and other EV infrastructure on their sites, organisations can provide convenient and reliable charging stations. It’s also possible to plan routes based on access to the growing charging network. There are several easily accessible websites and applications designed for this purpose.

We’re also seeing vehicle manufacturers struggle to share experience and knowledge with customers beyond the point of sale. To drive learnings and efficiencies, organisations need EV infrastructure analysis to be a continuous, strategic process. One-off consultations no longer make the cut.

The new official deadline for EV transition has created some breathing space. Being panicked into rapid adoption may lead to the premature disposal of useful working tools in the process. To avoid this, organisations should use the extra time to:

• Audit existing assets
• Review the use and demand of their fleet
• Plan for anticipated future needs
• Decide on an EV strategy

9. Data

Organisations laying the groundwork for smarter data collection and benchmarking will be better prepared for the energy market of the future

Catherine Wheatley​ Head of Data Science

Historically, a lot of benchmarks created a static line in the sand. But with changes to building usage since the pandemic, benchmarks have needed to become much more dynamic.

Dynamic benchmarking covers a number of areas including benchmarking across your own estate, categorising buildings by size and type, and benchmarking sites against each other. The biggest difference is that the benchmark data is updated in real-time, or much more often than once or twice a year. It provides a more accurate, relevant and responsive understanding of how buildings are using energy. Combined with exception reporting – setting expectations for how buildings should perform, and targeting the areas that perform below those expectations – this is an effective way to spot opportunities and inefficiencies.

To really get ahead, organisations need to go beyond collecting only the data that they absolutely need, like energy volumes and metre readings). They must start collecting as full a dataset as possible.

Organisations will understand whether to use or store energy on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis, based on what matters most to them.

It’s also important to examine the frequency of data collected. Establishing a dynamic energy use benchmark for your buildings requires data sets to be updated in real-time – certainly much more often than just once or twice a year. In doing so, an accurate picture of how buildings are using energy will emerge, revealing opportunities and inefficiencies such as:

• Impact of technologies like on-site generation
• What should and shouldn’t be turned off to reduce energy consumption
• How to plan for days without much wind or sun, when grid prices soar

Through comprehensive data collection, proactive organisations will become truly agile. Faced with the volatile energy market of the future, they’ll know whether to use or store their energy on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis, based on what matters most to them – be that price or carbon emissions.