In the race to meet the 2030 climate targets, reducing industry greenhouse gas emissions is critical. The 2023 edition of the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Tracking Clean Energy Progress (TCEP) (1) has made it clear that achieving net-zero emissions requires decarbonising all energy production and use areas, especially in heavy industry and long-distance transport.
Yet, many industries are reluctant to implement ambitious action roadmaps, as they grapple with a perceived conflict between environmental responsibility and economic interests. Accelerating the energy transition in C&I sectors hinges on proactive government measures and council-driven policies. Streamlining administrative procedures and offering incentives like grants and tax benefits are key to motivating them to invest in renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies for carbon emission reduction.
Equans’ commitment to the energy transition and digital transformation in industry and commerce is reflected in our comprehensive range of services and solutions designed to support C&Is in every action they implement. Our strategy combines business performance with sustainable change, focusing on energy efficiency in buildings, digitalisation and electrification of transport and emphasising resilience for reindustrialisation and competitiveness.
Energy efficiency in buildings
Change doesn’t happen overnight. That is why Equans has devised an end-to-end action roadmap for improving energy efficiency in buildings, comprising a series of accessible steps that are both beneficial to businesses and critical to decarbonisation.
Over the past decade, decarbonisation has been central to our ethos, aligning with our role as an industrial player facing similar challenges as our customers. Our solutions encompass heat recovery, process optimisation, digitalisation, urban planning, and renewable energy, achieving between 20% and 30% reductions in energy bills.
Reducing energy bills through tailored solutions
Our home-grown expertise continually refines our technicians' skills, allowing us to offer bespoke solutions that take into account each company's specific economic and technical constraints. Our services include helping clients design renovation projects that meet their needs, reduce their consumption in compliance with regulations, and handpick the most efficient service packages across various trades.
Additionally, we support HVAC, HVACR, and CFA/CFO projects, offering energy performance contracts (EPC) to ensure optimal infrastructure operation and energy cost control. Building automation control systems (BACS) also play a pivotal role in enhancing energy efficiency in the service sector, potentially saving up to 30% as per ADEME (2015).
Building and renovation
In the construction and renovation sector, Equans focuses on low-carbon development and thermal renovation, recognising the importance of these aspects in reducing energy consumption in service buildings.
In France, the building sector is the largest energy consumer, accounting for 44% of the country's energy consumption and emitting over 123 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Equans has set itself the goal of making buildings energy-independent through comprehensive design, operation, modernisation, and renovation, offering turn-key solutions for the entire life cycle of property projects, from planning to operation and maintenance. This includes the renovation of existing buildings and the integration of greener standards for new buildings that are in line with the RE2020 environmental regulation.
Energy efficiency timetable
France's DEET (Tertio Energy Scheme) has set the ambitious target of incrementally reducing the service sector’s energy consumption share by 60% by 2050. With as many possible pitfalls as there are types of building, Equans' approach to this regulatory mandate has been carefully elaborated over four years. It harnesses our decade-long experience, methodology and expertise, including the management of the digital platform OPERAT, designed to streamline and coordinate the complex procedural tasks involved to meet the deadline. Our own centralised, scientific approach to energy efficiency covers the entire value chain and is tailored to be agile and responsive, ensuring that industries fulfil DEET's stringent requirements in due time, through operational transformations that are anchored in and adapted to local contexts.
Business digitalisation
Digitalisation is a strategic cornerstone for Equans, offering sophisticated solutions to navigate the complexities of decarbonisation.
Technologies for decarbonisation: Artificial Intelligence and Big Data
AI and big data are at the forefront of our digitalisation strategy, crucial in reducing CO2 emissions and cutting energy costs by 10-20%. AI-driven technologies promise significant energy savings in buildings and transport systems. Our AI algorithms analyse data from HVAC and energy management systems to enhance energy distribution and consumption efficiency. For instance, our predictive AI software significantly improved energy performance at the Lyon National Opera and proactively prevented consumption deviations. In industry, AI enables predictive maintenance, reducing downtime, accelerating repairs, and minimising on-site engineering time.
In logistics and urban planning, AI's impact on decarbonisation is undeniable in its ability to interpret traffic data and fuel consumption, enhancing route planning and fleet management. Using our predictive AI and external data monitoring, Angers Loire Métropole has already increased the probability of parking in the city by 75%. Now, upon recently deploying our Computer Aided Dispatch and Automatic Vehicle Locations solution NAVINEO, the “smart city” of Angers aims to enhance its bus and tram operations, enabling operators to remotely manage traffic flows, adapt vehicle movements to optimise user journeys, as well as provide passengers with reliable real-time information through an on-board data system.
Performance energy manager
Our Performance Energy Manager (PEM) provides efficient measurement and monitoring tools, helping companies control their energy consumption. Supported by expert teams, our solution includes energy meters, consumption tracking boxes, and IoT devices for comprehensive energy profiling and recovery opportunity identification. Our methodology covers in-depth data analysis using manual and automated data collection techniques.
We tailor our energy metering and data acquisition services to client needs, creating metering plans, installing meters, and offering manual meter reading apps and CTM connections. Smarteo software enables clients to create dashboards and reports, accessible anywhere online. Our specialised performance indicators such as Daisy hypervision system offer a bird’s eye view of installations, with the PEM team guiding clients from data understanding to committed energy management.
Electrification of transport
Electrification of rail and public transit
Equans specialises in electrifying railway lines, offering a range of solutions to improve the performance, attractiveness, and reliability of local and long-distance rail passenger transport. These include the planning, installation, renovation, and maintenance of electrification systems for different types of rail networks. Our innovative digital SOCRAT system for overhead contact line management underscores our commitment to efficient and sustainable rail transport.
EV and EV Charging Stations
In the EV sector, Equans is developing EV charging infrastructure, responding to the EU's forthcoming 2035 ban on internal combustion engine vehicles. This initiative aligns with our goal to reduce CO2 emissions and reach the targets laid out in the European Climate Plan's vision for 2050. As transport is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, the electrification of road transport, both passenger and freight, is a crucial step in Equans' broad decarbonisation strategy.
Airports at the heart of the three transitions
Equans’ ambition to create "smart airports" is effectively taking flight, blending high-tech automation, robotics, biometric innovations, artificial intelligence, and virtual processes. Our goal is to craft airports into eco-friendly, seamlessly connected urban hubs. To achieve this, we are rolling out a range of technical services - from advanced heating and cooling systems to fire safety, efficient lighting, and comprehensive electrical networks. Alongside these, we are implementing digital management tools such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital twins to optimise space use and enhance security.
Our decarbonisation strategy does not stop at technology; we aim to steer airports towards sustainability. By focusing on generating green energy and improving building energy efficiency, we can lay the runway for a more eco-conscious future in air travel.