Construction regulators have been told by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) that the sector must cut carbon emissions and march quickly to net zero. Residential and commercial buildings account for roughly 29 percent of total US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and increased appliances and electronics usage is expected to result in a further net increase by 2050; energy use in total is expected to grow around 0.3 percent a year from 2016 to 2050. Deploying Digital Twin technology can help.
Driving down residential and commercial building emissions brings greater energy efficiency, increased electrification for infrastructure, and reduced harm to the planet. In a 2018 report, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to forge practical solutions to climate change estimates that residential and commercial buildings account for approximately 29 percent of total US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has presented a framework that governments and states can follow as part of the ‘Race to Zero.’ The RMI believes the first step is using holistic approaches to maximize progress in meeting shared objectives. Public utility commissions and other government bodies will need to form a vision, clarify roles, and coordinate policies and programs.
The institute also wants clear guidelines on alternative fuels. While proposals to decarbonize pipeline transported fuel have emerged worldwide, state regulators need to consider a few critical questions around availability, best use, and alternative fuel costs.
And governments will need to ensure there are larger workforces to install new equipment, perform efficiency upgrades, engineering and manufacturing new technical solutions, and expand electricity generation.
Finally, governments and states must manage the transition away from employment focused on diminishing fossil fuel use such as engineering and installing gas distribution infrastructure, installing gas appliances, and delivering oil.
Deploy Digital Twin technology
According to US-headed Digital Twin technology provider Cityzenith Holdings, Inc (Cityzenith), its software platform “SmartWorldOS” can create virtual replicas of buildings and urban areas to track, manage and optimize carbon emissions and minimize environmental damage.
Cityzenith CEO Michael Jansen believes such technology will be essential for regulatory bodies to ensure carbon emissions are curbed and can work hand in hand with RMI’s decarbonization framework.
Despite only covering 3 percent of the Earth’s surface, cities contribute to 70 percent of global carbon emissions while consuming 78 percent of the world’s primary energy, of which we waste 67.5 percent. Smart tech innovations such as SmartWorldOS can provide the essential interconnectivity required to reduce these percentages. Handling massive data streams harnessed to cutting-edge AI, we have delivered custom climate resilience applications to greenfield cities, real estate developments, and infrastructure projects. We know the issues and can help solve them for those who design, build, and manage cities, said Michael Jansen.
