We need to consider safety in the energy transition

It used to be around this time of year that I, like most Australians, started looking forward to summer. Barbecues and beaches are, after all, what we do best. These days, however, we tend to approach it with a degree of apprehension. Consecutive summers of extreme heat, bushfires and severe weather warnings have made it feel that these are no longer exceptions and this is what we should expect.

What is most worrying is that Australia is not alone. The latest UN Emissions Gap Report suggests that unless we do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, extreme weather conditions are likely to become more frequent and more severe around the world.

What is positive is that there is already a shift from just talking about climate change targets to implementing strategies. Governments around the world are increasing the use of renewable energies, electrification and low carbon technologies.

This is also being reflected in preparations for COP 31, which is being dubbed as the implementation COP'. The Climate Implementation Bridge, Green Industrialization and Clean Energy Transition are key pillars of the COP31 Action Agenda with the goal of increasing global electrification rate to 35% and increasing the use of circular materials in the manufacturing and production sectors to at least 15% by 2035. They are precisely the kinds of initiatives that much of IEC work has been supporting for many years.

This is all good news, but there is one principle that must remain non-negotiable and at the core of the transition: safety. Many of the technologies and industries enabling decarbonization involve potentially hazardous environments. From battery energy storage systems and hydrogen facilities to renewable energy infrastructure and industrial electrification, the risks of fire and explosion must be carefully managed. Without a strong commitment to safety, the transition could create new risks even as it addresses existing environmental challenges.

The battery challenge Batteries are a good example. As industries decarbonize, lithium-ion batteries are increasingly replacing diesel-powered machinery in sectors such as mining. Yet deploying large battery systems in hazardous environments requires new ways of thinking because they introduce new risks. Overheating can trigger fires and potentially explosions. The problem doesn't go away by just switching it off because it remains a source of stored energy even when there is no external power supply.

Ensuring they are safe goes far beyond testing a single battery. It requires the whole battery system, including enclosures, controls, software and protection mechanisms to be designed to prevent ignition even if one layer fails.

This demonstrates that it is not just about increasing the use of batteries. It is about creating a safe, efficient and trusted way of ensuring that batteries can be used safely in some of the world's most demanding environments.

The hydrogen opportunity Hydrogen is expected to play an increasingly important role in decarbonizing a number of industries, particularly those that are difficult to electrify. It is for this reason governments around the world are investing heavily in hydrogen production, storage and transportation. Yet hydrogen presents its own safety challenges. It is highly flammable and behaves differently from many conventional fuels. Ensuring its safety is essential but demonstrating that safety is just as important to enable hydrogen to be more widely deployed.

Demonstrating safety builds trust As we anticipate new climate targets and government policies to meet them, there has never been a more crucial time to ensure safety is designed into them. Deploying new technologies and solutions cannot be in competition with human safety to have any kind of long-term effect. Building confidence in these solutions requires international benchmarks that everyone agrees on. It also requires robust verification systems that manufacturers, operators and regulators can rely on to show that their products and systems are truly safe.

For the last thirty years, the IEC System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx) has been doing just that. By providing internationally recognized certification pathways based on IEC International Standards, as well as ISO International Standards for non-electrical explosive equipment, it helps manufacturers, operators and regulators demonstrate that equipment and systems can be used safely across global markets.

The transition to a low-carbon economy increasingly depends on technologies such as batteries, hydrogen and electrified equipment. Which also requires trust. Communities and workers must trust that new projects and new equipment are safe, particularly when they are deployed in hazardous environments. As governments gather to build momentum for climate action, safety needs to be a key consideration alongside sustainability and energy efficiency.

Learn more about IECEx.

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