Digitalisation can save more than 70 million tons of CO2 in 2030
Bitkom presents new study on the climate effects of digitalisation
Digital technologies can contribute roughly 24 percent to the 2030 climate targets
Most effective lever lies in the energy and property sector
Berlin, 26th February 2024 - Wind turbines that use sensors to precisely adjust their blades to different wind speeds, fields that are fertilised more economically based on satellite data, and factories that reach new heights of efficiency while saving energy thanks to AI. Digital technologies can make significant contributions to achieving the climate targets Germany has set for 2030. As is shown by the new Bitkom study “Climate Effects of Digitalisation” (in German, English version to follow), annual CO2 emissions in Germany in 2030 can be reduced by roughly 73 million tons if the digital transformation is accelerated. This is a net effect, meaning that the CO2 emissions resulting from the use of digital technologies, including data centres and terminal devices, are already taken into account. “Digitalisation can contribute almost a quarter of the climate targets that Germany has set for itself in 2030,” says Christina Raab, vice president of Bitkom, during the presentation of the study’s results. If the digital transformation is not accelerated, but continues at its current pace, savings of roughly 50 million tons of CO2 can be achieved by 2030 – which is equal to 16 percent of the targets. In 2022, Germany’s CO2 emissions were at 746 million tons. According to forecasts, they will amount to 673 million tons in 2023. In 2030, that amount should only be 438 million tons. Raab: “Climate change is becoming more and more apparent and tackling it more urgent. We must exploit every possibility to ensure that Germany achieves its climate goals. Digitalisation gives us a strong lever to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and increase our competitiveness at the same time. The more ambitiously the use of digital technologies is pushed forward, the greater the savings.” The Bitkom study “Climate Effects of Digitalisation” was carried out by experts on sustainability and digitalisation at Accenture. Based on three projections of future CO2 emissions, the study examines the CO2 effect of the use of digital solutions on CO2 emissions in the particularly relevant sectors of energy, buildings, industry, transportation and agriculture. The first is a pessimistic projection of high CO2 emissions in 2030, and the second is an optimistic projection of lower emissions, achieved by covering 85 percent of the electricity demand with renewable energy, among other things. In the following, the climate effects of digitalisation are examined based on a third projection with average CO2 emissions. It is halfway between the pessimistic and the particularly optimistic projection of future CO2 emissions. What is the amount of CO2 emissions released by the digital technologies themselves? This question, too, is answered by the study. The use of such technologies, including terminal devices like screens, computers, or tablets, as well as the operation of the network infrastructure and data centres indirectly result in CO2 emissions. Based on the average of the three projections, the CO2 footprint of the digital technologies in question will amount to 3.8 million tons in the five sectors in 2030 if the digital transformation is pushed forward at a greater speed. If it continues at the current pace, the amount will be 2.1 million tons.
The results of the sectors at a glance:
Energy: Digital technologies unlock the greatest potential for saving CO2 in the energy sector. Here, up to 26.4 million tons of CO2 can be saved with an accelerated digitalisation process and 24.5 million tons of CO2 with the standard digitalisation process in 2030. What is crucial here, on the one hand, are smart power grids, which enable precise control of electricity generation and consumption. They use sensors, smart meters, and real-time data processing to strike a dynamic balance between supply and demand for energy. On the other hand, there is a high potential for savings in the smart production of renewable energies. With the help of digital technologies, energy generation from renewable sources will become more reliable and more efficient. Take solar energy systems, where the use of smart control systems and algorithms can help optimise the way solar panels are aligned and tilted depending on the sunlight. By analysing wind speeds and directions, wind turbines can modify the positioning and angle of their rotor blades.
Properties: A home that automatically turns down the heating when a window is opened, or an office that smartly regulates air conditioning based on weather conditions and the number of people in the room. Smart homes and intelligent, connected buildings can save ample energy. According to the Bitkom study, the standard dissemination of smart building technologies in private and commercial environments could help save roughly 12.4 million tons of CO2 in 2030. This goes up to 18.3 million tons if the dissemination of smart technologies is pushed forward at an accelerated pace. “Existing funding programmes for the energy-efficient renovation of buildings are still too one-sidedly focused on traditional measures. The way to win the fight for the climate is not through thick insulation alone but by using smart control systems,” says Bitkom vice president Raab with emphasis.
Industry: Up to 12.7 million tons of CO2 can be saved with accelerated digitalisation in industrial manufacturing in 2030 – and 5.6 million tons in keeping with the standard speed of digitalisation. Here, a crucial technology is an automation in manufacturing, where systems and machines, workpieces and component parts are connected to each other, and processes run independently while minimising the consumption of material and energy. Furthermore, so-called digital twins will ensure significant savings in CO2. These are virtual images of complete manufacturing and operation cycles that make it possible to first apply processes to digital objects instead of real ones – facilitating massive savings in material, energy, and resources. Christina Raab: “Through digitalisation, the industrial sector can tackle two pressing challenges at the same time: It will not only become more climate-friendly but also faster and more productive.”
Transportation : Up to 9.3 million tons of CO2 with accelerated digitalisation, and up to 3.5 million tons of CO2 with standard digitalisation could be saved in the transportation sector in 2030. The key potential is to be found in digital road and transportation networks and the digital optimisation of traffic, including in-roadway sensors and in-car GPS systems that deliver real-time data used to control traffic lights, divert traffic flows, and strengthen public transport. Up to 5.5 million tons of CO2 could be saved in this way. It is also important to leverage smart logistics to avoid HGVs travelling empty and to optimise routes.
Agriculture: The production of fertilisers requires large amounts of energy, among other things. A substantial portion of fertiliser does not make it to the plants in the field, instead ending up in unplanted areas and frequently contaminating groundwater. Using digital applicators and soil analysis, these undesirable effects can be reduced drastically by applying fertilisers to the plants with pinpoint accuracy. A big effect can also be achieved in livestock farming. Digital livestock systems can monitor the state of health and the feeding patterns of cattle and pigs. This can not only help identify illness earlier but, most importantly, reduce methane emissions. Using the above-mentioned technologies in agriculture can help save a total of 6 million tons of CO2 if the digitalisation is accelerated, and 3.5 million tons of CO2 with standard digitalisation in place.
“Digital climate protection is a huge chance for the German economy. Companies can maintain and increase their competitiveness and save CO2 at the same time,” says Bitkom vice president Christina Raab. “Companies that do not yet have a digital strategy in place should work to set one up immediately and anchor it in top management. Most importantly: These companies should closely link their climate and sustainability strategy to their digitalisation strategy.” Policymakers, too, need to react by supporting especially small and medium-sized companies with advisory offerings and funding programmes like “Digital Jetzt”, a German federal government scheme. “This not only contributes to sustainability but also makes companies fit for the future,” says Raab with emphasis. All in all, digital measures must become integrated as key components into all sustainability and climate measures and strategies. From Bitkom’s point of view, it is also important to accelerate the provision of green data. Data that are available publicly, e.g., on the environment, energy consumption, or mobility, can be leveraged to generate environmental innovation, facilitate sustainable business models, and foster more effective measures for climate protection. Raab: “Reducing our CO2 emissions is a mammoth task: Germany has already achieved a great deal since 1990, reducing its emissions by 40 percent, while its GDP has grown by 197 percent during the same period. We now have to focus on the ‘twin transition’: a sustainable structural change that smartly combines climate protection and digitalisation.”
