Cédric Philibert is a senior analyst of energy and climate, with a focus on renewable energy for industry and transports, electrification and hydrogen. He is an associate researcher to IFRI (Institut Français des Relations Internationales).

He worked for 20 years at the International Energy Agency on climate change policies and renewable energy technologies. He authored many IEA publications such as Beyond Kyoto (2002, with J. Pershing), IEA Technology Roadmaps on solar, wind and hydro power, Solar Energy Perspectives (2011), Renewable Energy for Industry (2017), and Solar Energy: Mapping the Road Ahead (2019).

A journalist by training, C. Philibert served as an advisor to the French Environment Minister, then to the CEO of the French Agency for the Environment ADEME , before joining UNEP, then the IEA.

C. Philibert has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed and other journals, and as contributions to many books and reports. 

Abstract

International Trends in Decarbonizing Heavy Industry: Roles of electricity, hydrogen and synthetic fuels

To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the industry sector will need to get close to zero emissions by itself. The industry requires large amounts of heat, which represent ¾ of its energy needs. A commonly held view is that green electricity can replace fossil fuels for low-temperature heat but not the high-temperature heat – but it is not rooted in facts. Already today, induction arc furnaces melt steel at very high temperature, and many technologies can respond to most needs. Compact high-temperature heat storage technologies emerge, which will link variable green power to continuous heat requirements. If hydrogen has no big role to play with respect to the energy needs of the industry, it still has a quite important role to play, 1) to reduce iron ores in steel making and cut the related process CO2 emissions, and 2) as a precursor ammonia, methanol and naphtha, which are important feedstocks for the chemical industry.