| | NOVEMBER 20218IN MY OPINIONThe energy industry is rapidly evolving as industries and economies respond to the transition towards a lower carbon future. With 80 percent of companies worldwide now reporting against sustainability targets, pressure is mounting to identify greener power solutions.However, many industries around the world continue to face barriers in their decarbonisation journeys, from regulatory hurdles to intermittency challenges and limited availability of technology. But the reality is that the switch from thermal to renewable power generation will not ­ and cannot happen overnight. Bridging solutions, such as hybrids, have a critical role to play in helping to support and often event accelerating industries and economies through the transition.Barriers to Renewable AdoptionConcerns around the reliability of renewable power remain, with concerns that decarbonising will come at the cost of productivity. Industries and economies cannot take that risk. If the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine, an alternative source of power is essential. This is particularly important for hard to abate industries such as mining which typically have relied on thermal energy to power operations, often due to off-grid locations and need for a consistent source of power. However this comes at a cost ­ the mining industry is currently responsible for between 4 and 7 percent of carbon emissions globally. A Hybrid AnswerOne answer to this challenge is hybrid power generation. Through this technology, renewable energy can operate reliably when integrated with other power generation sources, such as thermal. Building storage into hybrid solutions further improves reliability while ensuring the power generated by renewables is used to its full potential. At the Granny Smith goldmine in Western Australia, we installed one of the largest renewable energy microgrids, powered by a combination of gas generators and solar. Supported by an energy storage system, this mix of technology provides reliable access to power, monitored by our data centres to ensure spikes in demand are met without any disruption in power supply.UNLOCKING THE POWER OF HYBRIDS TO REDUCE EMISSIONSBy Dagan Baroco, Head of Global Utilities, AggrekoDagan Baroco
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