ICT and low-carbon economy

Event report

The session was moderated by Mr James Ferguson (CEO & Founder, kWIQly). He started by saying that climate change will affect migration, refugees, and other areas of economic development. He highlighted replicable opportunities where information and communication technologies (ICTs) are addressing low-carbon goals. He said that the panel presentations will illustrate specific domains: replacement food science, energy analytics, and communications platforms.

He explained how using artificial intelligence (AI) can save energy at scale. He asked some questions: Do you believe smart technologies can switch themselves off ? Could a smarter technology switch itself off? He added that ‘smart’ technologies have existed for years.

In addition, he talked about how buildings produce emissions. He highlighted four distinct requirements to reduce building emissions: increase plant efficiency (boilers, lights, pumps), embed solutions/devices, encourage behavioural energy management, and enable efficient use at scale (ICT role). In conclusion, he mentioned using fingerprints in data and how data enables problem identification (simple for a single building).

Ms Emily Basileo (Head of Operations, GridCure) started by explaining ICTs for a ‘Sustainable Energy Future’. She also asked why we use electrical energy. She said that we need electricity, but we need to use it with respect. Moreover, she noted the power of ICTs and monitoring communication control analysis.

Basileo said that ICTs will help in data collection and in facilitating communication. According to her, it is very important to maximise data in other economic areas. She noted that using data will help the public officials and companies to make good decisions. She mentioned using SolShare, which helps access energy and its democratisation to many people. Furthermore, she noted increased efficiency and flexibility. According to her, we need to educate ourselves about energy opportunities and reach out to local utilities to pledge sustainability.

Mr Jean-Manuel Canet (Senior Manager, Sustainable Development, Orange Consulting) started by explaining the role of Orange Group in reducing the consequences of climate change. He talked about the competitiveness of individual businesses and the world economy. He noted lower prices and the need to reduce technical barriers. Moreover, Canet said that they have a common set of methodologies for the environmental assessment of ICTs. He added the methodologies for cities, countries, and organisations. Furthermore, he mentioned the ‘Recommendation L.1450’, which consists of a methodology for calculating the footprint of the ICT sector with respect to life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, he talked about the examples of ICT partners to increase energy efficiency and to reduce CO2 emissions (operating energy-efficient networks; using alternative energy sources; promoting and designing efficiency in building and services; and applying circular economy principles). Finally, he emphasised reusing of network equipment and selling repairable products, for example smartphones.

Mr Chiu-Hao Chen (Ted) (Chief Product Architect & Founder, EverComm) explained building a ‘Self-sustainable Zero-Carbon Economy’ (a Singapore case study). He noted a more cost-effective implementation. He said that we must ask the right questions on how much do I consume? How much do I need? How much do I waste? He acknowledged that ICTs can play a huge role. Moreover, he highlighted ‘Singapore Energy Landscape’. He said that 60.3 percent of energy goes to the industrial sector. He added that data policy affects workforce integration (accessibility, standard compliance, machine readability, and data validation and cost).

Chen noted the implementations model and underlined ‘Industry Transformation Maps’ and ‘Hotel Industry Challenges’. He emphasised the importance of local ecosystem and local companies. He also added e-governance as an important tool for companies to save their time for business. He further said that we need ‘Sector Convergence’, ‘Capacity Building Through Open Data’, and ‘Translational R&D / Micro-Enterprises’. In conclusion, he mentioned ‘Virtual Power Plant’ national test bedding and the role of Asia-Pacific companies (APAC 25) in building a self-sustainable zero-carbon economy through better data policy, e-governance strategy, and digital transformation.

Mr Giuseppe Scionti (CEO & Founder, Novameat) talked about ‘Food Tech for a Low-Carbon-Economy’ and said that Silicon Valley is very interested in this sector. He mentioned ‘plant-based meat’ and highlighted that 83 percent of Earth’s available farmland is used for livestock. He further noted a regulatory push, the market pull, and the commercial push. He also underlined ‘Food 3D printing’ and how ICT is improving the food system.

Scionti mentioned that his project is working with higher efficiency than animal meat and cell-based meat, no animal slaughter, authentic experience, and customisable nutritional values. In conclusion, he said that they are also working with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on this project and mentioned their commitment to the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

By Gilles D. Bana