The engineering profession is conservative, according to ACT Chief Engineer Adrian Piani FIEAust CPEng EngExec. And there’s a very good reason for that.
“If we get it wrong, the implications can be significant,” Piani told create. “We engage with risk every day, so change can be hard for us.
Innovation can be hard [too] as we rightly worry about the potential for negative impacts. We have to acknowledge that potential but also understand the real risk.”
Once they do so, he said, engineers can embrace innovation by managing it.
These are a few of the key commitments he and his colleagues are progressing to achieve a net zero emissions by 2045 future:
“Broadly speaking, the ACT Government has for many years been a leader in tackling climate change, both adaptation and mitigation,” Piani, who has almost two decades of experience as an environmental engineer in the water resources, environmental and infrastructure sectors, explained.
At Engineers Australia’s Climate Smart Engineering 2023 (CSE23), Piani will discuss how the ACT Government has managed the leadership of climate solutions, particularly in terms of the challenges for engineers and the unique skill sets required by those engineers to develop solutions and manage risk.
“I’ll be discussing why engineers are so critical to finding those solutions and delivering our net-zero city,” he said. “The uniqueness of Canberra is that we’re making the decisions that need to be made, and we’re making them first.
“We’ve just announced that the fossil fuel gas network is not the future, and our intention is to electrify the city. I suspect other jurisdictions are considering the same challenges Canberra has faced. ”
Engineers are constantly being tasked with finding new ways to do things.
“We’re using our engineering skills to deliver great outcomes,” he said. “Yes, it’s a bit different and yes, it’s a bit new. But true engineering is [about] problem solving and finding new solutions to old problems.”
The next big challenge for engineers, according to Piani, is removing carbon from concrete and steel.
“It can be done,” he said. “Will it be challenging? Yes. But it can be done.
“There are obvious solutions. We’ve got low-carbon concrete available right now and I think we can use it more. We need to get over that barrier. And I think there’s a pathway for steel as well. It’s a bit longer, but there are new technologies that will come online.”
Another challenge is removing the use of diesel fuel from the construction process. Piani expects, in the very near future, to see the transformation of construction machinery and vehicles to green hydrogen or electric.
“There are already all-electric options for machinery,” he said. “We had our first all-electric excavator in town recently. I think the supply chain is just responding to this new need and is finding solutions.
“Because we’re ahead of the game [in the ACT], because we’ve had this focus for many years — we just get on and do stuff. The objective is set, and we know what we need to do. It’s not about agonising over the decision about whether we should be net zero. That decision has been made.
“Our role as engineers is to deliver.”
Adrian Piani is just one of many experts in attendance at CSE23 — so don’t miss out. Discover the stellar line-up and secure your place today.
Chris Sheedy is a professional writer whose work has taken him to the UK, USA, Europe and China. He has a fascination with big things – ideas, organisations, infrastructure, achievements, brands – and the people and processes required to make them a reality.
This article needs facts and figures to back up the rhetoric. There is a lack of substance, and no attempt to flesh out exactly what is being proposed, how it will be achieved, what it will cost and what the carbon budget for the initial transformation or the long term will be. We know that Australia, let alone the ACT, could completely turn off carbon emissions tomorrow and it wouldn’t make an iota of difference to the global trajectory. What it will make a difference to is residents of the ACT and Australia.
To phase out ICE’s, how many vehicles will need to be scrapped prematurely? How much additional cost will the public be burdened with for the higher cost EV’s? How much mining needs to be completed? What will need to be done to the power network? What additional generation will be required to transfer transport energy from ICE’s to EV’s? What are the upgrades to power networks, EV charging infrastructure to support this massive and rapid increase in EV’s? How much will this cost? How many additional tonnes of CO2 will be generated by the mining, manufacturing and construction to support/achieve this transition?
“It can be done”? Yes, almost everything is possible but as engineers (the audience of Create?), we start with planning including cost estimates and continuous review of whether objectives are being met. I suspect this is not reported as it will indicate that what is being proposed is far from good value, but would be happy to be proved wrong. Lets have some facts and figures in future articles!
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