How We Improve Our Customers’ Carbon “Bootprint”
Climate Change Mitigation in the Focus of Security Policy
Water shortages, environmentally induced migration, disastrous flooding – climate change is one of the biggest drivers of global and local conflicts. This, in turn, makes climate change mitigation a central pillar of global security policy. To achieve this, the industry needs to reposition itself.
When NATO countries met in Brussels in mid-June, they didn’t just discuss how to deal with China, the percentage of GDP to spend on defense, or the relationship between the U.S. and Europe. Instead, the focus was on much more far-reaching common goals: combating climate change and the role that the defense sector, in particular, can play in this. This is because the defense sector has a heavy impact on the environment. A study by Boston University calculated that the US military emitted more than 200 million metric tons of carbon in 2018. Only 16 countries in the world emit more greenhouse gases per year. Are tanks with solar cells, biofuel for military vehicles, or electrically powered aircraft for pilot training a solution?
Tactical and Competitive Advantages
“Combating climate change and security policy are inextricably linked,” explains Dr. Stefan Stenzel, Managing Director of VINCORION. “The challenge is to find sustainable solutions without neglecting the core mission – safety. All stakeholders are called upon to do their part, including us as an industrial company, of course. That’s why we’re working hard to firmly entrench a sustainability mindset throughout all areas of our business – from supply chains and low-emission manufacturing techniques to the design of efficient and resource-friendly power solutions for civilian and military use.”
Sustainability is not a social end in itself, but creates concrete competitive advantages. Defense Is Already Environmentally Friendly in Many Areas. VINCORION’s hybrid power systems are among the solutions designed to improve its customers’ “carbon bootprint.” They optimize efficiency in military platforms’ power management, directly reducing greenhouse gas emissions as a result. In field camp or air defense systems, the self-sufficient, adaptable, and hybrid power architecture also becomes a tactical advantage, cutting fuel consumption by up to half, halving downtime, and guaranteeing a fourfold increase in fail-safety. In addition, the power systems are designed to support the integration of self-sufficient fuel cell technology and other sustainable energy sources.
Sustainable Both Internally and Externally
But the energy and carbon footprints are not only constantly put to the test during operation. Whether a completely overhauled generator will function properly again can only be determined through testing. This requires electricity. At the same time, energy is released during these processes. “We are just as concerned with harnessing this energy from the testing processes and returning it to the production cycle as we are with ensuring that the life cycle of the products themselves is as long and low-maintenance as possible” explains Dr. Stefan Stenzel.
Maintenance-friendly modules and systems designed to be modular so that they can be replaced and upgraded with flexibility are more sustainable – both in terms of development and total cost of ownership. This, too, represents a commitment to sustainability in the industry.“
