Sustainable energy choices require relevant data and a life cycle view

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Energy and utilities companies increasingly recognize that environmental sustainability is both a business imperative and competitive differentiator. In this two-part episode of our Energy Transition Talks podcast series, CGI experts Nicole Zethelius, Rich Hampshire and Peter Warren discuss the need for relevant and actionable data to advance the energy transition.

With a long-term focus on improving operational efficiency, energy companies and utilities often reduced environmental impacts as well. But today, there is a pressing demand for them to push forward their environmental, social and governance (ESG) agendas. In the 2021 CGI Voice of Our Clients findings, 70% of oil, gas and utilities executives feel strongly that sustainability is core to their ability to create value for customers.

Making informed energy choices with relevant data

The energy and utilities sector is an essential piece of a highly complex sustainability puzzle. One challenge is that definitions and terms differ significantly across cultures and geographies. Nicole notes that overcoming this challenge requires a "clear common denominator of information for consumers and businesses on the best practices and best solutions around energy." Measurable, quantifiable, qualitative and quantitative information is needed to assess the entire life cycle of energy sources to make informed decisions about sustainability.

Rather than viewing an energy source simply as "green" or "not green," Nicole suggests the focus be on gauging how mature and prepared the energy type is to meet future fundamental shifts in society or the environment. "We need newer and different types of data to assess [an energy source] and look at it from a much longer-term perspective," she says.
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