Applications in buildings
Potential energy savings can be anticipated as a result of the European Union?s directive on the energy performance of buildings. Estimated at 27% for homes and 30% for service sector buildings, these savings result in an approximate 11% reduction in the European Union?s overall energy consumption. In addition to carrying out audits, Electrabel, Elyo, Axima Services and Ineo ? all SUEZ Group subsidiaries ? are helping companies increase their energy efficiency and incorporate the results more effectively into their daily operations. With greater awareness of consumption levels, companies and individuals are managing their energy, electrical and thermal equipment more efficiently, thereby benefiting from cost reductions. SUEZ is developing and implementing concrete, innovative and effective solutions tailored to different types of facilities and needs: modernization of all thermal plants to the south of Tours, as well as a heating system that produces zero CO2 emissions in the future eco-neighborhood of Limeil-Brevannes in the Val de Marne department, which will be 100% supplied with renewable energy.
Applications in urban heating networks
SUEZ manages 90 urban heating and cooling networks in Europe. These are cleaner, safer, more flexible, more reliable and healthier, thereby eliminating the need to install thousands of individual boilers along with their chimneys. With the increased output of thermal power stations, the development of cogeneration and trigeneration facilities, and greater use of new resources (waste incineration, biomass, solar power, geothermy, etc), towns adopting an urban network can now avoid the discharge of tens of thousands of metric tons of greenhouse gases each year. As world leader in urban networks, the Group boasts exceptional expertise in this field. It is building while also managing urban networks in Paris, London, Barcelona, Lisbon and numerous average-sized towns. It is installing equipment in new neighborhoods and modernizing older networks so that they may lower their carbon emissions and become more efficient. Today 100 million Europeans receive their heating from urban networks. This is no mean figure, but Europe, who wants to set an example in terms of the environment, can go further. SUEZ can help by quite simply doing its job.
Example of the CPCU network
At 437 km in length, the Paris urban heating company CPCU (Compagnie Parisienne de Chauffage Urbain) network is one of the largest in the world, alongside those of New York and Moscow. It delivers heating and clean, hot water to a quarter of all Parisians and effectively replaces more than 6,000 apartment-building boiler rooms. The network serves 150,000 private homes, 60,000 social housing units, 240 hotels, 24 hospitals, and nine million square meters of office space. It is one of the most effective systems in the world and is constantly being modernized: since 2001 its CO2 emissions have been reduced by 1.5 million metric tons. 49% of its energy comes from the recovery of household waste (incineration and biogas), with another 27% coming from natural gas-based cogeneration.
Applications in energy generation ? industry example
Given the importance of the electricity generation sector (representing approximately one third of all primary energy consumed in Europe) and the high volume of energy currently lost during energy conversion, it is easy to grasp that a major leap can be made immediately in terms of energy efficiency. In order to improve the current situation, the European Commission is planning new applications for electricity generation facilities, including cogeneration, which uses almost 10% less fuel. Responding to this challenge, the SUEZ group, through its subsidiary Elyo, has built a power station that generates steam and electricity from biomass for the company International Paper. The key aspect is that both energy costs and the volume of gas consumed at the site have been reduced, while greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 20%. On the Villers-Saint-Paul chemical platform in France, SUEZ Energy Services has taken over the running of all production contracts and utility management, as well as all industrial zone services. Through the construction and operation of a new boiler plant, together with the recovery of steam produced by the neighboring waste processing plant run by Novergie, such expertise will avoid 16,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year over the next 15 years.
Applications in lighting
Europe is one of the most lit regions of the world. Lighting makes up 14% of its electricity consumption. In towns and cities, renewal of public lighting will save 3.5 million metric tons of CO2 per year. Lighting represents almost one third of the energy bill of commercial buildings and one eighth of that of an average-sized town. Not surprisingly, this is a major challenge to energy efficiency programs. Nowadays, to be well lit means to have light while consuming less energy. Without compromising the quality of its service, the SUEZ Group, through its subsidiaries Elyo and Ineo, has come up with a number of options: optimization of the electricity supply, lamp replacement, installation of dimmers, improved maintenance plans and consumer audits.
Applications in urban mobility
Monopolizing almost 29% of Europe?s total energy consumption, the transport sector is the main culprit of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide discharge, as well as nitrogen oxide emissions. Moreover, the sector is 96% dependent on fossil fuels. Through its various subsidiaries, the SUEZ Group is able to draw on a myriad of skills, and is both recognized and involved in transport development projects that combine mobility, respect for the environment and safety. Ineo-Systrans is a subsidiary of Ineo SUEZ that offers systems to assist with passenger transport and information in order to guarantee and measure the performance of public transport networks. Tractebel Engineering, a subsidiary of SUEZ Energy Services, has developed a solution that, in order to reduce peak usage of the rail transport network, enables it not only to monitor traffic flow and its effects while providing objective information on the network?s capacity and use of this capacity, but also enables it to identify the different areas of a train?s energy consumption.