ATIS Énergie is celebrating 20 years at the forefront of the fight against climate change. To mark this anniversary, we're taking a look at how the field has changed over the past two decades. We believe that protecting the environment through energy management is more important than ever—for us and for future generations.

Decarbonation: What does it mean?

The term "decarbonation" is suddenly on everyone's lips. Is it a new buzzword? Decarbonation, also known as decarbonization, refers to the various strategies and methods used implemented to reduce the carbon footprint of a given company, industry, country or economy. The main objectives are to improve energy efficiency, shift to emission-free power sources, and phase out oil and other fossil fuels.

How has industrial energy efficiency changed over the past 20 years?

1) Businesses want to save money and cut their greenhouse gas emissions.

We're seeing a real change of vision as industry leaders come under pressure to do more to protect the environment. Investors, the general public and governments are demanding that companies take concrete—and verifiable—action. As a result, many are developing ESG plans. 20 years ago, business leaders contacted us because they wanted to save money. Now, they also want to reduce their impact on climate change. Businesses are incredibly proud to align their practices and operations with their values. Of course, some choose to integrate energy management solutions for other reasons, but ultimately it doesn't matter. Where GHG emissions are concerned, any reason is a good reason to strive for net zero.

2) Energy efficiency systems have proven their value.

20 years ago, the field was still unknown. There were very few case studies on decarbonizing operational facilities. So naturally businesses were reluctant to remove steam boilers that had been working for 100 years. Decision makers weren't sure if it would be a worthwhile investment. But since then, ATIS has gained experience that allows us to provide more than just projections. Through our projects, we've been able to confirm that implementing changes makes a real difference—and the results often exceed expectations. So there's nothing left to chance.

3) Experience has led to a broader vision for decarbonization.

Through our past projects, we've collected large amounts of raw data that we can now analyze to identify patterns and extract useful information. It can be surprising to see just how much we can do to help companies meet their decarbonization targets. And we're always excited to see the results! It may surprise some people to know that we installed a heat pump at duBreton's facilities more than 10 years ago! Gheorghe Mihalache, the engineer who worked on that project, recently won an ASHRAE award for the results obtained on another project.

4) Quebec offers bigger grants for decarbonization initiatives.

Businesses in Quebec are lucky because they have access to more financial assistance than in the rest of Canada, the US or France. There's the provincial government's EcoPerformance program, which aims to reduce energy consumption. And after the pandemic, Hydro-Québec announced that it was committed to decarbonizing Quebec. As a result, businesses can now get 2 to 3 times the amount of government assistance. Énergir has also joined in with similar offers, which amount to roughly $1 per cubic meter of energy saved. For major industrial projects, there's an opportunity to get nearly $10 million in subsidies. The authorities have finally realized that improving energy efficiency is less expensive and less complex than building new hydropower dams.

5) Municipalities now support efficient energy management.

Municipalities have the ability to leverage and combine the various efforts made by businesses, utilities and individuals. What they need to do is create energy reuse systems for the public's benefit. For instance, waste heat can be distributed to areas where heat is needed. And the same can be done for cold. Think of a public swimming pool being heated by the waste heat from a nearby industrial facility. There are all kinds of opportunities to do this sort of thing. We're increasingly working with municipalities like Varennes, which has a lot of heavy industrial sites.

6) There are more jobs in environmental protection.

Environmental issues are top-of-mind for today's young people, many of whom are pursuing careers in environmental protection. A number of new academic programs have been developed in recent years, and many companies have created positions that specifically focus on energy efficiency or other similar areas of expertise.

In conclusion, here are the different forms of decarbonization:

1. Energy decarbonization: This involves switching from fossil fuels to cleaner and renewable energy sources, such as waste heat, hydroelectric, wind or nuclear power.
2. Transport decarbonization: This involves reducing transportation-related carbon emissions by encouraging the use of cleaner forms of transportation such as public transit, electric vehicles or alternative fuel vehicles.
3. Industrial decarbonization: This involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions by optimizing industrial processes through initiatives such as improving energy efficiency, adopting cleaner technologies, adjusting production processes or even redistributing energy to other facilities.
4. Building decarbonization: This involves improving a building's energy efficiency, installing heating and cooling systems that rely on renewable energy sources and energy loops, and using more sustainable construction materials.

For the past 20 years, ATIS has been offering innovative solutions to help our clients improve their energy performance and operational efficiency, while cutting their energy bills and bringing them closer to net zero. Our energy management approach focuses on using the right amount of energy at the right time and place, resulting in a substantial reduction in energy costs and GHG emissions. Our mission is to help save the planet, one facility at a time!

Contact us to find out what we can do for you.

Robert La Roche
Gheorghe Mihalache
Hassan Taj Eddine
Adel BENYAHIA, Ing., P.Eng. PMP, PSM l
Carl Abdelnour
Stefan Radu Soare
idir Hamel
Slavik Mordas