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Can we really 'electrify everything'?

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18 Dec, 2024

This post was originally published on Sustainability Matters

At the Energy LIVE 2024 conference in Houston, Texas, the path to a net-zero emissions future was a hot topic.

In a session titled ‘The Great Electrification Debate’, energy experts Dr Tej Gidda and Dr Peter Benyon, both from GHD, discussed whether full electrification is possible on a global or regional scale.

Speaking to an audience of industry insiders, policymakers and innovators, Gidda and Benyon presented equally ambitious but contrasting viewpoints. One championed the promise of green electricity while the other advocated for alternative renewable energy sources.

The case for electrification

Dr Peter Benyon.

Benyon, GHD’s Australian Market Leader – Power, opened with a vision of electrification across residential, commercial, industrial and transportation sectors, citing the rapid adoption of renewable energy and advancements in energy efficiency as cornerstones of a clean, sustainable future.

“We are already making significant progress toward electrifying everything. Over the past decade, electricity demand has grown at nearly twice the rate of overall energy demand, and this trend is accelerating rapidly,” he said.

“With net zero objectives in focus, green electricity — produced from abundant resources like wind and solar — stands out as the cleanest and most cost-effective energy source.

“Harnessing these natural resources, coupled with energy storage, makes transitioning to an all-electric system an obvious choice.

“The benefits are clear — cleaner air, lower noise pollution and significant cost savings. Green electricity is not simply better for the environment; it is also healthier and more affordable for communities,” he explained.

To bolster his argument, Benyon pointed to community-led projects like Electrify 2515, where 500 homes in the city of Wollongong are transitioning from gas to electric appliances.

He also highlighted progress in Australian states and territories including South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, which are well on their way to, or have already achieved, net 100% renewable electricity and have advanced electrification initiatives.

Electrification would also be economically beneficial, he said. “Every heat pump and EV we deploy brings tangible savings for households. It is not just about the planet — it is about people’s wallets.

“We’re also seeing breakthroughs in energy storage, including lithium, sodium and vanadium technologies, which will support and stabilise grids and enable deeper electrification.”

Challenges and alternatives

Dr Tej Gidda.

Gidda, GHD’s Global Leader for Future Energy, presented a different perspective, questioning whether electrifying everything is realistic in the short term.

“The power generation required for full electrification is enormous, and in many regions, it is simply not feasible today,” he argued.

Gidda said that affordability was another critical barrier, using North America as an example of a region where consumers and businesses face high costs of transitioning to electric systems even with subsidies.

“We don’t currently have enough power generation to electrify everything. The anticipated increases in demand are already outpacing our ability to generate new power, and we are struggling to meet existing needs,” he said.

“How can we possibly address the additional requirements for full electrification when we’re already behind on capacity for today’s demands?”

However, existing infrastructure in North America still offers untapped potential for decarbonisation, Gidda said.

“We have millions of miles of pipelines that can be repurposed for renewable natural gas and hydrogen. Why abandon these assets when we can use them to reduce emissions today and do so to maintain affordability?”

Gidda cited North American projects converting agricultural waste and landfill gas into biomethane, as well as Toronto’s efforts to displace natural gas with renewable sources created from food waste.

He also underscored the limitations of battery electric vehicles, particularly in heavy-duty transport.

“There are not enough lithium reserves globally to electrify all vehicles, and this is a real problem. We need complementary solutions, such as hydrogen and low-carbon fuels.”

Technological pathways

Both Gidda and Benyon agreed on the need to advance energy technologies to support the energy transition.

Benyon advocated for diverse energy storage methods, from mechanical processes like compressed air to thermal storage.

“Storage innovation is key to grid reliability and scalability. It is how we will meet growing demand without compromising stability in a renewable electricity grid,” he said.

Gidda made the case for blending hydrogen into existing natural gas systems to decarbonise without costly infrastructure overhauls.

“This approach reduces emissions immediately, with minimal disruption to consumers,” he explained.

What needs to happen now?

When asked what near-term actions are critical for achieving net zero by 2050, Benyon called for aggressive grid decarbonisation and expanded infrastructure, with targeted support for low-income communities to ensure equitable transitions.

Gidda stressed the need for comprehensive national energy policies and public–private partnerships. “This is too big for any one sector to tackle alone. Collaboration is our best shot at success,” he said.

Gidda said that solutions must be tailored to the realities of each region. “There is no single path to net zero,” he said. “For me, I do not believe ‘electrification’ is the answer on its own. It needs to be a combination of electrification and decarbonisation.”

Benyon agreed on the need for diverse approaches, adding, “What matters most is that we act decisively and collaboratively. Every step forward is a step toward a cleaner, greener world.”

Top image credit: iStock.com/kynny

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Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

In June, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 E-Waste World, Battery Recycling, Metal Recycling, and ITAD & Circular Electronics Conference & Expo events in Frankfurt, Germany.

Speaking in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track on a panel with global Circular Economy leaders from Foxway Group, ERI and HP, we explored the evolving role of IT asset disposition (ITAD) and opportunities in the circular electronics economy.

The event’s focus on advancing circular economy goals and reducing environmental impact delivered a series of insights and learnings. From this assembly of international expertise across 75+ countries, here are some points from the presentations that stood out for me:

1. Environmental impact of the digital economy

Digitalisation has a heavy material footprint in the production phase, and lifecycle thinking needs to guide every product decision. Consider that 81% of the energy a laptop uses in its lifetime is consumed during manufacture (1 tonne in manufacture is equal to 10,000 tonnes of CO2) and laptops are typically refreshed or replaced by companies every 3–4 years.

From 2018 to 2023, the average number of devices and connections per capita in the world increased by 50% (2.4 to 3.6). In North America (8.2 to 13.4) and Western Europe (5.6 to 9.4), this almost doubled. In 1960, only 10 periodic table elements were used to make phones. In 1990, 27 elements were used and now over 60 elements are used to build the smartphones that we have become so reliant on.

A key challenge is that low-carbon and digital technologies largely compete for the same minerals. Material resource extraction could increase 60% between 2020 and 2060, while demand for lithium, cobalt and graphite is expected to rise by 500% until 2050.

High growth in ICT demand and Internet requires more attention to the environmental footprint of the digital economy. Energy consumption of data centres is expected to more than double by 2026. The electronics industry accounts for over 4% of global GHG — and digitalisation-related waste is growing, with skewed impacts on developing countries.

E-waste is rising five times faster than recycling — 1 tonne of e-waste has a carbon footprint of 2 tonnes. Today’s solution? ‘Bury it or burn it.’ In terms of spent emissions, waste and the costs associated with end-of-life liabilities, PCBAs (printed circuit board assembly) cost us enormously — they generally achieve 3–5% recyclability (75% of CO2 in PCBAs is from components).

2. Regulating circularity in electronics

There is good momentum across jurisdictions in right-to-repair, design and labelling regulations; recycling targets; and voluntary frameworks on circularity and eco-design.

The EU is at the forefront. EU legislation is lifting the ICT aftermarket, providing new opportunities for IT asset disposition (ITAD) businesses. To get a sense, the global market for electronics recycling is estimated to grow from $37 billion to $108 billion (2022–2030). The value of refurbished electronics is estimated to increase from $85.9 billion to $262.2 billion (2022–2032). Strikingly, 40% of companies do not have a formal ITAD strategy in place.

Significantly, the EU is rethinking its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management targets, aligned with upcoming circularity and WEEE legislation, as part of efforts to foster the circular economy. A more robust and realistic circularity-driven approach to setting collection targets would better reflect various factors including long lifespans of electronic products and market fluctuations.

Australia and New Zealand lag the EU’s comprehensive e-waste mandated frameworks. The lack of a systematic approach results in environmental degradation and missed positioning opportunities for businesses in the circular economy. While Australia’s Senate inquiry into waste reduction and recycling recommended legislating a full circular economy framework — including for imported and local product design, financial incentives and regulatory enforcement, New Zealand remains the only OECD country without a national scheme to manage e-waste.

3. Extending product lifecycles

Along with data security and digital tools, reuse was a key theme in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track of the conference. The sustainable tech company that I lead, Greenbox, recognises that reuse is the simplest circular strategy. Devices that are still functional undergo refurbishment and are reintroduced into the market, reducing new production need and conserving valuable resources.

Conference presenters highlighted how repair over replacement is being legislated as a right in jurisdictions around the world. Resources are saved, costs are lowered, product life is extended, and people and organisations are empowered to support a greener future. It was pointed out that just 43% of countries have recycling policies, 17% of global waste is formally recycled, and less than 1% of global e-waste is formally repaired and reused.

Right to repair is a rising wave in the circular economy, and legislation is one way that civil society is pushing back on programmed obsolescence. Its global momentum continues at different speeds for different product categories — from the recent EU mandates to multiple US state bills (and some laws) through to repair and reuse steps in India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Commission has done a scoping study to identify product groups under the Ecodesign framework that would be most relevant for implementing an EU-wide product reparability scoring system.

Attending this event with the entire electronic waste recycling supply chain — from peers and partners to suppliers and customers — underscored the importance of sharing best practices to address the environmental challenges that increased hardware proliferation and complex related issues are having on the world.

Ross Thompson is Group CEO of sustainability, data management and technology asset lifecycle management market leader Greenbox. With facilities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Greenbox Group provides customers all over the world a carbon-neutral supply chain for IT equipment to reduce their carbon footprint by actively managing their environmental, social and governance obligations.

Image credit: iStock.com/Mustafa Ovec

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