Which are the technologies showcased in Pau
Reaching climate neutrality by 2050 requires every sector of our economy and society to significantly reduce its GHG emissions. The transport sector which is responsible for almost 25 percent of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions and has a critical role to play, but its decarbonisation entails unique challenges. Transport is indeed the backbone of the French and European economy and we need to ensure our transport system, while progressively decarbonising, remains competitive, energy-secure and affordable.
The challenge of climate neutrality is colossal and there is not single solution. While electrification and hydrogen are important technologies for reducing transport’s GHG emissions, low-carbon liquid fuels can decrease now emissions from the existing passenger car fleet as well as from the hard-to-decarbonise heavy-duty road transport, aviation and maritime transport sectors.
The city of Pau in its ambition to be in line with the EU’s 2050 climate objective and do its share by reaching climate neutrality by 2040, decided to resume its historic race, the Grand Prix de Pau, with the forward-looking objective of reducing the carbon footprint of the event by the use of low-carbon technologies for all if the races.
ICE’s with Low-carbon liquid fuels
The Grand Prix de Pau will be exclusively showcasing low-carbon technologies for transport.
Among the pool of technologies, low-carbon liquid fuels will have a critical role to play, but what are these liquid fuels ?
Liquid fuels supply our current transport system since more than 100 years thanks to their unequalled combination of qualities, from high energy density, easy and safe handling, extensive, resilient, already existing infrastructure for production, distribution and storage for use in all transport sectors.
Whilst conventional liquid fuels are made from petroleum, low-carbon liquid fuels are from non-fossil origin. These sustainably produced fuels produced from waste (e.g banana peels), sustainable biomass, renewables and captured CO2, emit no or very limited additional CO2 during their production and use. Moreover, they are climate-neutral because the limited CO2 they emit in the atmosphere is circular. It is the same CO2 that was absorbed by plants or captured directly from the air or other emission sources.
These fuels will allow to reduce the GHG emission of the race while using the same cars and infrastructure!
There are dozens of low-carbon liquid fuels projects and plants across Europe and in some European countries, they are already fuelling hundreds of passenger cars.
For more information on low-carbon liquid fuels visit: www.cleanfuelsforall.eu
Véhicules à pile à combustible à hydrogène
Hydrogen Fuel cell vehicles