The energy transition: Why safety matters

THE NEW UK Labour Government has announced an ambitious energy transition program aiming to deliver a decarbonised electricity system by 2030. This has brought the energy transition into renewed focus over recent months, with plans outlined to accelerate investment in the industry.

However, the practical reality behind the headlines is that in order to meet ambitious timeframes, safety must be prioritised. Without comprehensive safety procedures in place, there is a very real risk of setbacks, particularly in the area of investment, which may impact the ability to meet the 2030 goal.

Dräger has identified five key safety areas which we believe must be addressed as the energy transition starts to accelerate:

1. Challenge perceptions – Unlike the oil and gas sector, many people view green energy and the wider energy transition industries as ‘clean, green and safe’, while the oil and gas industries have, over many decades, been characterised as ‘dirty, oily, black and dangerous’. The reality is quite different, and in many respects the safety risks involved in energy transition industries are not vastly dissimilar to those faced in the oil and gas sector.
   
   Indeed, research¹ has found that injury rates in the offshore wind sector are up to four times higher than in the offshore oil and gas industry, a trend which the research anticipates will increase due to the growth and implementation of new technologies creating additional challenges.
   
   Understanding and accepting the safety realities is a vital priority for those operating in the clean energy sector, and every opportunity should be taken to encourage the transfer of safety knowledge from other, related industries such as oil and gas.
   
   Whilst most people would agree that a move away from a carbon-based economy should be carried out as quickly as possible, crucially this must not be at the expense of safety. To do so risks setbacks which have the potential to harm the overall end goal of protecting the planet for future generations.

2. Put safety first – It is clear that the safety industry has a key role to play in communicating the need for rigorous safety standards across renewable energy industries, in line with the mature and well-advanced safety standards in the oil and gas industry.
   
   We firmly believe that the success of renewable energy will depend on confidence and trust in these newer industries. Having comprehensive safety measures in place is a vital component to building and maintaining public trust in the new energy industry, and to ensure that it is seen as a safe and dependable energy source for the future. Any significant safety incident that erodes this trust could be extremely damaging as well as risk leading to consequences for future investment. 
   
   Investment will be key to meeting the Government’s decarbonisation plans and some estimates suggest that investment levels will need to be boosted by a further £48bn. Having comprehensive safety standards in place has a key role to play in securing trust and confidence in the long-term viability of investments, and will act as an enabler to acquire finance, insurance and planning for the future.

3. Boost research & development (R&D) collaboration – With a growing emphasis on the need for innovation to help reduce the global reliance on fossil-fuels, many of the current advances being seen in the energy transition are new to market, and in some cases, not yet widely tested.
   
   Whilst this type of innovation is an important – and indeed unavoidable – element of the energy transition as a whole, it also presents significant challenges from a safety perspective.
   
   It is vital for all involved to recognise the importance of partnering and collaborating with those at the forefront of research in the clean energy space. Partnerships with academia, R&D and industry experts as well as those with working experience of new safety risks, are vital for the innovation to move forward in a safe and optimum way.
   
   Dräger has been working with the University of Aberdeen for several years in relation to its research into hydrogen and renewable energy, both supporting its students’ understanding of the safety risks and also by working to advise on safety technology installations for the University’s hydrogen lab. 
   
   Many of the considerations around new safety risks ultimately come down to ‘fundamental’ understandings of material properties and processes – for example mechanical performance, embrittlement, chemical reactivity. This type of knowledge can often be very effectively transferred into technological breakthroughs (improvements in materials usage, safer processes, processes that are easier to implement).
   
   Furthermore, the very nature of R&D is to encourage blue-sky thinking, often through highly interdisciplinary and disruptive solutions – something that is not necessarily as easy to do, or indeed possible to do, in an industry setting.

4. Embrace the potential of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) – Technology and AI offer significant positive potential for safety in the transition. Examples include the possibility for AI to be used to train systems and operators into safer processes, discriminating and actuating on alarms, etc. This is particularly relevant in complex environments or processes that involve chemical transformations (such as electrolysis), physical processes (such as hydrogen transport), or when connecting several stages and energy vectors.
   
   In addition, advances in technology involved in remote satellite observation and remote monitoring of safety systems (already present in a range of safety technology including gas and flame detection devices) offers huge potential.
   
   At a more fundamental level, better and more connected technology as well as improved user interfaces offer scope to make safety easier: Easier for managers or those with overall safety responsibility to monitor colleagues and more quickly identify potential issues, and easier for colleagues to be alerted to hazards in the vicinity in which they are working.

5. Safety must keep pace and respond to new intelligence – As mentioned earlier, we need to know and understand the safety risks involved but currently there is a very limited track record, and new technology, and techniques are being constantly developed so there is an element of the unknown when it comes to safety. 
   
   This means that the safety sector must be nimble and ready to keep pace in order to address constantly evolving safety requirements and to put in place comprehensive safety training for employees. This is particularly important where new energy technologies differ from the traditional oil and gas sector, and largely centres around improving our understanding of the unique risks posed from areas such as using EV batteries and storage of carbon dioxide.

Partnership between industry and academia will be vital to ensure that the latest intelligence is used effectively to keep people safe as the industry evolves.

Until recently, the industry talked about the Energy Trilemma, maintaining the balance of sustainability, affordability, supply security and energy reality. This has now evolved to the Energy Quadrilemma, with the addition of protecting people and assets. Significantly safety holds relevance within all four elements of the Quadrilemma which, once again, highlights the essential role safety plays in the energy transition.

1. Energy security: to avoid shutdowns in energy supply by preventing accidents and power shortages.

2. Environment sustainability: to avoid damage to the natural resources associated to a specific site, for example. 

3. Economic viability: save any costs for repair and in a major accident, protect investments by retaining industrial trust, while standardisation is crucial for international trade. 

4. Social justice: the perception of the local communities (as users) and then global citizens (as voters) will be paramount to accept these new technologies worldwide; the negative effects of accidents can polarise the society and obscure the obvious benefits (and urgency) of renewable projects (job creation, emission reductions, more affordable energy).

The bottom line is that if the energy transition does not get safety right first time, incidents such as the recent spate of highly publicised battery related fires, are likely to lead to difficulty getting planning permission, insurance, investment and public backing.

Safety does not need to hinder progress or delay deployment, indeed quite the opposite: Getting safety right will – ultimately – speed things up and play a key part on achieving targets and timeframes.

Megan Hine is safe energy transition business development manager at Draeger Safety UK. For information on renewable energy safety, visit  www.draeger.com/en_uk/Safety/Clean-Energy-Solutions