Honeywell Yu Feng: Create sustainable urban development and contribute to China's "dual carbon" goals

Recently, Yu Feng, President of Honeywell China, shared his views on topics such as energy conservation and carbon reduction, sustainable urban development, and the acceleration of the realization of the "dual carbon goals", and shared Honeywell's active practice and achievements in sustainable commitment, which was published in the 197th issue of World Environment.

Climate change is a common challenge facing all humankind. Addressing climate change is a matter of development for all countries around the world and for the future and destiny of mankind. As President Xi Jinping put forward that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", protecting the earth's homeland on which mankind depends and firmly promoting green and low-carbon development are becoming the main theme of sustainable development around the world.

China's goal of peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060 is not only a grand blueprint under the long-term plan for high-quality economic development, but also a great commitment to the global vision of carbon reduction. The "dual carbon" goal not only brings emission reduction challenges to industries with high energy consumption, especially large carbon dioxide emissions, such as transportation, construction, manufacturing and other pillar industries of the modern urban economy, but also fosters development potential for technological innovation and application.

Cities bring together the latest scientific and technological achievements of human civilization and are the concentrated embodiment of advanced social productive forces. With the continuous improvement of China's urbanization level and the profound social changes brought about by it, the construction of sustainable urban development capacity has entered a critical period. Promoting sustainable urban development means accelerating the transformation of the green economy in related industries and promoting the transformation of the energy system through the application of sustainable technologies, so as to promote the fundamental transformation of social production and consumption patterns.

At the same time, as the main unit of economic production in urban development, enterprises assume important social responsibilities in realizing sustainable urban development. Improving the performance of enterprises and realizing green production and operation are the main ways for enterprises to promote the sustainable development of cities. For enterprises, actively practicing the concept of sustainable development and promoting the innovation and application of sustainable technologies is the only way to balance green development and long-term growth.

Energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies lead green travel

The transportation industry is an important part of the operation of modern society, and it is also one of the key areas of energy conservation and emission reduction. According to statistics from the International Energy Association (IEA), the global transportation industry has generated more carbon dioxide emissions than industrial carbon emissions in the past 30 years, ranking as the world's second largest source of carbon emissions.

In the case of aviation, for example, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), 25% of the world's carbon emissions will come from aviation by mid-century if left unchecked. The necessity and urgency of decarbonizing the aviation industry is very prominent. To achieve carbon neutrality in the aviation sector, actions need to be taken in terms of energy substitution, energy conservation and efficiency improvement, and process transformation. Adopt advanced avionics solutions to maximize fuel value, reduce fuel consumption, and improve overall flight efficiency through connected technologies that optimize collaboration between cockpit, ground services, and operators.

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Directive in Europe and elsewhere is also leading to the increasing adoption of Renewable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technology. In February 2022, Honeywell and Donghua Energy Co., Ltd. announced that they will jointly build a 1 million tons per year sustainable aviation fuel production base in Maoming, Guangdong Province. Donghua Energy introduced Honeywell's Ecofining™ process technology into the project, which was developed to produce high-performance products from sustainable feedstocks. When completed, the project will be one of the world's largest production bases for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) based on food waste oil and animal fat, helping to drive carbon reduction in the aviation industry.

At the same time, emerging technologies such as flight propulsion systems are driving the technological development of UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) and UAM (Urban Air Mobility). Electric aircraft have the potential to fly with zero emissions. The new turbine generators can be used to drive high-power electric motors and recharge batteries for a wide range of tasks, from heavy-duty cargo drones to air taxis and commuter aircraft.

According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), road transport is a huge contributor to carbon emissions, accounting for about 12% of global emissions. By the end of 2021, there were 302 million cars in China, and the annual carbon emissions of the automotive industry reached 13 billion tons, accounting for 7.5% of the total emissions. At the same time, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which controls the potent greenhouse gas hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), has officially come into effect in China since 2021, and it has become an inevitable trend for China's automotive industry to strengthen the control of non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases such as hydrofluorocarbons in response to the "dual carbon" goal.

Promoting solutions with low global warming potential (GWP) can help the global fight against climate change. For example, HFO low GWP products are used in supermarket refrigeration, vehicle air conditioning, blowing agents for insulation, and propellants for personal and home care products, helping users reduce their carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency without compromising the performance of their final products.

In China, companies such as NIO and Volvo Cars have adopted HFO-1234yf as an environmentally friendly refrigerant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the automotive industry. The global warming potential of the refrigerant is less than 1, and its global warming potential is greatly reduced compared with the hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant currently used in the domestic market, which can meet the requirements of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to strengthen the control of non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases such as hydrofluorocarbons and support the sustainable development of China's automobile market.

Energy and carbon dual control

Unlock a new paradigm of low-carbon buildings in China

As one of the "big carbon emitters" in urban operation, energy conservation and emission reduction of buildings have become a key area to achieve sustainable development, and zero-carbon development of buildings has gradually become a global trend.

In China, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and local governments have successively issued new regulations to encourage enterprises to join the carbon emission reduction action. In April this year, the General Code for Building Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Utilization (GB55015) was implemented, and in terms of rules and mechanisms, it has been promoting the clarification of the main body responsible for carbon emissions, and at the same time strengthening the carbon accounting and carbon disclosure of buildings. The General Code puts forward higher requirements for energy conservation in the operation phase of buildings, clarifies the indicators for building emission reduction, and requires the improvement of energy metering systems for new construction or renovation projects.

Smart buildings provide people with a healthy, safe, energy-efficient and efficient building environment, and their application scenarios are wide, including commercial buildings, airports, subways, hospitals, data centers, hotels, schools and other facilities for owners and users. Customized software and full lifecycle services for building operations can help smart buildings operate smoothly, improve energy efficiency and achieve sustainable development, helping building owners create a healthier and safer building environment, while taking into account operational efficiency and ensuring the sustainability of buildings.

To realize the closed-loop of dual control of building energy and carbon, it is necessary to pay attention to the four stages of measurement, analysis, control and green certification. Through stable sensing technology and a secure and open IoT gateway, the low-carbon building solution can accurately collect and monitor the data of various building energy consumption equipment, including electricity, water, gas, cooling and heat, etc. In addition, the smart building system can conduct a comprehensive evaluation, analysis and calculation based on the collected data, and implement effective building energy saving strategies to reduce energy and carbon consumption.

For a long time, Honeywell has been developing and launching low-carbon and energy-saving products and solutions for buildings in China, providing end-to-end smart energy management solutions from metering, sensors, data collectors, gateway controllers, application management software to system implementation and operation and maintenance services, and helping customers accurately understand energy efficiency levels and reduce energy consumption costs and maintenance expenses through mature Internet of Things and cloud technologies.

Create new opportunities for green transformation in carbon-intensive industries

With China's "dual carbon" goals, the demand for low-carbon emission reduction solutions in carbon-intensive industries, including the chemical industry, is growing, and a variety of innovative technologies are emerging. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology, which captures and stores carbon dioxide emitted from refineries, factories, and power plants, has become one of the options to help achieve a low-carbon transition in the industry.

In view of the current high cost of CCUS technology, it is one of the ways to realize the implementation of CCUS technology by including this technology in the scope of clean energy technology and taking the lead in applying it in clean energy and other related fields. For example, the organic combination of hydrogen production technology and CCUS technology will increase the application of carbon capture and storage in the hydrogen production process, and promote the promotion and application of CCUS technology while expanding hydrogen energy production capacity.

For example, Wabashi Valley Resources LLC uses a range of Honeywell CCUS technologies in its Heatre Haute Gasification Project in West Trehot, Indiana, United States, which will capture and store 1.65 million tons of carbon dioxide annually and produce clean hydrogen. The project is one of the largest carbon sequestration projects in the United States to date.

Although the development of CCUS technology in China started late, China has made rapid progress in the development of carbon capture technology based on the industrial experience of power plants and coal gasification. With the formulation and implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the "dual carbon" goals, the development of CCUS technology will usher in new opportunities and prospects, bringing good news to the low-carbon transformation of refining and chemical industries.

In addition, compared with fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel, hydrogen is valued by the world's major energy-intensive economies as an important clean fuel. With the increasing progress of technology, large-scale promotion and policy support, the industrial chain of hydrogen energy, as a clean energy with market potential, has entered a high-speed development track in China. High-purity hydrogen can be produced and recovered as a valuable by-product. Honeywell has reached a cooperation agreement with Shanghai Baowu Gas Industry Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Baowu Iron and Steel Group, to provide Shanghai Baohydrogen with a set of high-purity hydrogen production stations with a capacity of 6,000 standard cubic meters per hour, of which hydrogen products will be used in Baowu Group's non-oriented silicon steel production line and hydrogen fuel vehicle hydrogen refueling stations, jointly promoting the production and development of hydrogen energy in the Chinese market and promoting energy conservation and emission reduction in the steel industry.

Honeywell Yu Feng: Create sustainable urban development and contribute to China's "dual carbon" goals

Ongoing commitment to sustainability

Actively respond to the "dual carbon" goal

Sustainability is a comprehensive commitment that encompasses Honeywell's facilities, operations and products. Since 2004, the company has reduced the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of its operations and facilities by more than 90 percent and improved energy efficiency by more than 70 percent. In 2021, Honeywell committed to achieving carbon neutrality across all operations and facilities by 2035. This is not only a proactive response to global emission reduction targets, but also a concrete action of Honeywell's active corporate social responsibility.

The practice of sustainable development and the improvement of economic efficiency go hand in hand and promote each other. Honeywell, for example, has implemented more than 6,100 sustainability projects since 2010, saving an average of $105 million per year. In China, Honeywell responds to the "dual carbon" goal and promotes the "green factory" certification. Honeywell's Suzhou plant under Safety & Productivity Solutions has been selected as a "Green Factory" demonstration enterprise on the list of green manufacturing demonstrations announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China. At present, the company is promoting the "green factory" certification of several other factories in an orderly manner.

In August 2021, Honeywell announced the establishment of the Low Carbon Center of the Honeywell (China) Co., Ltd. Sustainable Development Research Institute. The Low Carbon Center serves as a window for Honeywell to cooperate with the government, enterprises, research institutions, industry organizations, and universities in the low-carbon field in China, and regularly publishes white papers and research reports on advanced low-carbon technologies, products, and services to provide strategic guidance for the market.

Honeywell Yu Feng: Create sustainable urban development and contribute to China's "dual carbon" goals

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