Products, solutions and services for eco-efficiency

ABB has a history of innovation going back more than 130 years, and it takes pride in its track record of developing pioneering technologies that contribute to global eco-efficiency while stimulating economic growth and improving people’s lives.

ABB’s considerable portfolio of eco-efficient products, solutions and services delivers tangible benefits in three critical areas: energy efficiency, renewable energy and resource efficiency. These benefits are vital to the ongoing effort to achieve the goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Meeting this goal will depend on transitioning to a decarbonized energy system that is connected, digital, smart and distributed. This evolution will directly impact stakeholders of every kind, both individually and at the level of enterprises and governments. It will be disruptive to certain business models and lifestyles, but will also open the door to new models and drive the further development of new technologies.

It must be emphasized that, with continuing urbanization, population growth and economic growth, demand for energy will continue to rise. At the same time, we must work hard to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The generation of more power has an important role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. SDG 7 seeks to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Since 2014, ABB has established one clear, central target for our products, solutions and services: for our eco-efficiency portfolio to account for 60 percent of ABB’s total revenue by 2020. Over the past year, we performed well against this target; our eco-efficiency portfolio grew steadily and accounted for 57 percent of ABB’s revenue in 2018.

ABB reviews all of its products, systems and services according to a robust methodology that determines which offerings should be included or excluded from its eco-efficiency portfolio. Consequently, the energy efficiency portion of this portfolio includes variable frequency drives, energy-efficient motors (IE3 or higher), and flexible alternating current transmission systems; the renewable energy portion includes solar inverters, microgrids, long-distance power transmission systems and asset performance and resource management solutions; and the resource efficiency portion includes industrial robotic solutions, sustainable transportation solutions, control systems for water, power and other facilities, SF₆-free gas-insulated switchgear, and transformers with biodegradable insulating fluids. Applications that have potential short- and long-term environmental impacts, such as oil extraction, nuclear power generation and military uses, have been excluded.

ABB Ability^TM, our Group’s comprehensive digital offering, is a central component of our eco-efficiency portfolio. ABB Ability connects the world’s largest installed base of industrial devices – more than 70 million of them – to industry-leading digital solutions in sectors as diverse as marine shipping, mining, paper milling, printing and food and beverage processing.