Many key initiatives were announced at last week’s 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow to encourage phasing out coal for electricity generation. A UK government press release about the event stated, “The end of coal—the single biggest contributor to climate change—is in sight thanks to the UK securing a 190-strong coalition of countries and organizations at COP26, with countries such as Indonesia, South Korea, Poland, Vietnam, and Chile announcing clear commitments to phase out coal power.” At the conference, UK’s Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng called the event a “milestone moment in our global efforts to tackle climate change, as nations from all corners of the world unite in Glasgow to declare that coal has no part to play in our future power generation.”
The utilities sector is key to meeting these goals, as is digital transformation across all industries. In a recent survey of utility sector leaders, 89% reported their organizations need to establish a new approach to digital transformation to reach their climate goals. And by “a new approach,” they mean changes to operational processes that contribute to their day-to-day carbon footprint, such as incorporating process automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. The use of low-code also surfaced as a solution, as it allows for rapidly designing enterprise-ready applications to meet ambitious climate goals.
“With low-code—a new way to create applications that arguably entered the mainstream in 2020—business and IT can work together to describe and implement new workflows without relying on line-by-line coding. That saves time—vital now when we all need to make inroads on net-zero projects—and can bring governance and compliance around the same table, ensuring that workflows are created to truly meet their goals,” stated Michael Heffner, VP of Solutions and Industry Go To Market at Appian, in an article for E&T Magazine. Heffner goes on to discuss how one company, Anglian Water, has used low-code and data to further its net-zero goals through its Capital Carbon Programme. As of 2020, Anglian has achieved a 61% capital carbon reduction from its 2010 baseline.
Interested in how it can work for you? Read this low-code buyer’s guide to learn how low-code platforms and automation can clear the way to meeting your climate goals.
