The Sustainable Industrial Site of the Future Based on Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Artificial Intelligence, and Energy Policy
Journal
EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication and Computing
Publisher
Springer Nature Switzerland
Date Issued
2026
Author(s)
Type
Book chapter
Abstract
The world’s high emissions of carbon dioxide are the primary cause of climate change and its harmful consequences, such as floods, storms, and droughts. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, human-induced warming reached approximately 1 °C above preindustrial levels in 2017, increasing at 0.2 °C per decade. The industrial sector contributes greatly to this global warming, as it is among the largest energy consumers. Indeed, industrial processes require a lot of energy, for example, for cooling, venting, pumping, producing steam, and hot water. This chapter focuses on industrial sites and aims to find a global solution to accelerate their transition toward sustainability. The study defines a clear and robust framework to obtain a sustainable industrial site and to keep it sustainable. Technologies (both well-proven technologies and new technologies) and policies are examples of tools used during the research. The method used is also supported by the current state-of-the-art on carbon emissions reduction and energy savings. The framework is based on four levers: energy efficiency, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and energy policy and management. This framework can be used by any organization, stakeholders, and policymakers. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.