A review of barriers to and driving forces for improved energy efficiency in Swedish industry– Recommendations for successful in-house energy management

This paper presents the development of a conceptual map regarding energy management applied to industry. The energy issue is currently of great relevance, especially for the so-called energy-intensive industries related to high energy consumption and their associated environmental impacts. The present research is characterized as a basic, exploratory approach justified by the need to build knowledge on the subject of energy management in industry. The methodology provides for the use of a computational tool called CMap Tools, which assists in the graphic representation of the proposed conceptual map. The conceptual map based on the ISO 50001 standard and on successful energy management practices described in the scientific literature is directed toward a process design covered by the managerial discipline called Business Process Management. The conceptual map is intended to clarify the relationships that are established between the intra-organizational and main external stakeholders involved in an energy management system. Owing to the way internal areas and external organizations relate, the representation structure using a “Spider” is the most appropriate. The work developed presents an energy management system for an energy-intensive industry in a clear (conceptually and visually), orderly, unified, harmonious, and balanced manner indicating the distribution of its elements, and serves as an initial step in the creation of an ontology for this area of knowledge.

Industry is one of the major users of fossils fuels resulting in emissions of GHG (Green House Gases), leading to global climate change. One means of promoting energy efficiency in industry is energy management. The aim of this paper is to outline a number of energy management related factors which affects energy management in industry positively. The paper is a result of collaboration between industry professionals and researchers within an ongoing research project and addresses the issue using a bottom-up energy management perspective. Results indicate that that the “soft” issues of energy management play a crucial role in the success (or not) of energy management in industry, e.g. the manager’s role and attitude towards the employees cannot be understated. Instead it addresses that implementation is not only about technology but equally or even more important, concerns the diffusion and adoption of energy management practices and principals.

Influencing factors on energy management in industries

Energy management can be defined as “the judicious and effective use of energy to maximise profits and to enhance competitive positions through organisational measures and optimisation of energy efficiency in the process ” (Cape, 1997). Profits maximization can be also achieved with a cost reduction paying attention to the energy costs during each productive phase (in general the three most important operational costs are those for materials, labour and electrical and thermal energy) (Demirbas, 2001). Moreover, the improvement of competitiveness is not limited to the reduction of sensible costs, but can be achieved also with an opportune management of energy costs which can increase the flexibility and compliance to the changes of market and international environmental regulations (Barbiroli, 1996). Energy management is a well structured process that is both technical and managerial in nature. Using techniques and principles from both fields, energy management monitors, records, investigates, analyzes, changes, and controls energy using systems within the organization. It should guarantee that these systems are supplied with all the energy that they need as efficiently as possible, at the time and in the form they need and at the lowest possible cost (Petrecca, 1992). A comprehensive energy management programme is not purely technical, and its introduction also implies a new management discipline. It is multidisciplinary in nature, and it combines the skills of engineering, management and maintenance. In literature there are many authors that approaching the different aspects of energy management in industries. For sake of simplicity, identifying the main issues of the energy management procedure in energy prices, energy monitoring, energy control and power systems optimal management and design, in Table 1, for every branch the most significant scientific results are listed. Concerning energy price in the new competitive environment due to the energy markets liberalization, many authors face up the risks emerged for market participants, on either side of the market, unknown in the previous regulated area. Long-term contracts, like futures or forwards, traded at power exchanges and bilaterally over-the-counter, allow for price risk management by effectively locking in a fixed price and therefore avoiding

Industrial facilities are devoting ever greater attention to the importance of energy in their operations. Consequently, industrial energy management has advanced to include many activities in both planning and operations. Dynamic energy management has evolved as not just an extension of cost optimal production methods but also in the context of demand side management activities. And yet, the current demand side management literature is inadequate because it does not address the underlying production activities as the existential reason for energy consumption. Therefore, this paper seeks to develop a dynamic production model for industrial systems energy management drawing upon techniques from Axiomatic Design for Large Flexible Engineering Systems and timed petri-nets. The model is applied to an illustrative example to demonstrate the calculation of energy consumption and energy cost curves. This model may be later integrated into conventional industrial systems energy management techniques or into extended demand side management techniques.

Energy management in industry – a systematic review of previous findings and an integrative conceptual framework

Industrial energy systems channel fuels and power into a variety of energy types such as steam, direct heat, hot fluids and gases, and shaft power for compressors, fans, pumps, and other machine-driven equipment. All of these processes impact the environment and are impacted by external energy and environmental policies and regulations. Therefore many environmental management issues are closely related to energy use and efficiency. Applied Industrial Energy and Environmental Management provides a comprehensive and application oriented approach to the technical and managerial challenges of efficient energy performance in industrial plants. Written by leading practitioners in the field with extensive experience of working with development banks, international aid organizations, and multinational companies, the authors are able to offer real case studies as a basis to their method. The book is divided into three main parts: * Part one describes Energy and Environmental Management Systems (EEMS) in current use and management techniques for energy and environmental performance improvement. * Part two focuses on the engineering aspects of industrial energy management, describing main industrial energy systems and how to analyse and improve their energy performance. * Part three is the TOOLBOX on an accompanying website, which contains data, analytical methods and questionnaires as well as software programs, to support the practical application of the methods elaborated on in the first two parts of the book. This book will be a valuable resource to practising energy and environmental management engineers, plant managers and consultants in the energy and manufacturing industries. It will also be of interest to graduate engineering and science students taking courses in industrial energy and environmental management

Chapter 2.3 - Reframing energy efficiency in industry: A discussion of definitions, rationales, and management practices

There is a general awareness of the opportunities for reducing the cost of electricity consumption in industry, but the progress in implementation has been slow and stagnant, particularly in the small and medium size industries. Part of the reason for the slow progress is lack of information on methodologies for the electrical energy management in industries. The paper discusses common aspects of electrical energy management in small and medium size industries. It contains the finding and the analysis of the results obtained from the electrical energy audit program which is done in various industries. The analyses are focused on the load management, power factor management, transformers analysis and motor losses management. >

One of the latest innovations in the industrial environment was the emergence of Industry 4.0. Along with numerous challenges, there are many chances for companies in it. Besides automation, energy efficiency and energy flexibility is becoming increasing important. Because of the planned phasing-out of nuclear power and high prices for energy, it is important for companies to reduce their energy consumption in order to reduce cost and stay compatible in market place. Therefore strategic energy management plays an important role in overcoming these obstacles. Implementation of energy management is often based on standards and norms with the DIN EN ISO 50001 being the most important. Energy monitoring is a key factor for the successful execution of energy management. For energy monitoring of Industry 4.0 production plants, a cloud based energy monitoring and management system was developed. This solution allows users to monitor their production in real time enabling them a possibility of condition monitoring, energy flexible planning of production based on historic data and energy management along with load management. The detailed concept of the cloud based totally integrated energy management system, beginning with data acquisition to data analysis and visualization is presented in this paper.

Improved industrial energy efficiency is a cornerstone in climate change mitigation. Research results suggest that there is still major untapped potential for improved industrial energy efficiency. The major model used to explain the discrepancy between optimal level of energy efficiency and the current level is the barrier model, e.g., different barriers to energy efficiency inhibit adoption of cost-effective measures. The measures outlined in research and policy action plans are almost exclusively technology-oriented, but great potential for energy efficiency improvements is also found in operational measures. Both technology and operational measures are combined in successful energy management practices. Most research in the field of energy management is grounded in engineering science, and theoretical models on how energy management in industry is carried out are scarce. One way to further develop and improve energy management, both theoretically as well as practically, is to explore how a socio-technical perspective can contribute to this understanding. In this article we will further elaborate this potential of cross-pollinating these fields. The aim of this paper is to relate energy management to two theoretical models, situated action and transaction analysis. We conclude that the current model for energy management systems, the input-output model, is insufficient for understanding in-house industrial energy management practices. By the incorporation of situated action and transaction analysis to the currently used input-output model, an enhanced understanding of the complexity of energy management is gained. It is not possible to find a single energy management solution suitable for any industrial company, but rather the idea is to find a reflexive model that can be adjusted from time to time. An idea for such a reflexive model would contain the structural elements from energy management models with consideration for decisions being situated and impossible to predict.

Energy management in the hotel industry remains a cornerstone in mitigating climate change. To successfully deploy energy management practices, correct energy KPIs are needed. Moreover, the development of a uniform taxonomy on how to classify hotel industry final energy use is crucial in succeeding with energy management in the hotel industry and to enable benchmarking beyond the supply of energy. This work proposes a methodology to develop a taxonomy of final energy use in hotels. The methodology consists of five steps and five levels, allowing them to gradually disaggregate the final use of energy following different classification criteria. The methodology is applied to a hotel, validating the feasibility of the proposed methodology to more accurately identify the areas of greatest final energy use and provide further insights. Results indicate that the main electrical energy use emanates from HVAC (30.4%), tap hot water (24.8%), food process (20.6%), and lightning (7.1%). Key findings include the development of a structured framework that allows hotel managers, energy professionals, and policymakers to systematically assess and benchmark energy performance; and the classification levels provide a standardized method for identifying energy-intensive operations, enabling the implementation of targeted energy-saving measures.

Malaysian industries, in general consider energy management a burden and non-profitable. Energy management initiatives are also viewed as a Cost-Centre. An Excel spreadsheet was therefore tailor-designed, which meets the requirements of the plant for energy optimization and management. The spreadsheet is grouped to reflect four parts, namely: plan, do, check and commit. This Plan-Do-Check-Commit cycle is based on the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle. This spreadsheet has been developed with the objective of developing a tool that would be comprehensive, simple and flexible, open to be modified and tailored for the industries. The results indicated that there are opportunities for a more effective and structured approach to energy management in industry. An initial reduction of 5% in energy consumption has been recorded and it is the company’s responsibility to ensure that their energy management becomes part of their corporate culture.

Performance modification of an acid gas incinerator to reduce atmospheric pollutants impact: Energy management, HAZOP and LCA analyses

Energy is a critical factor which considerably defines several elements of human activity and affects the worldwide economic and social growth. In view of the exponential rise in energy consumption, which is also strongly affected by recent geopolitical developments, energy security and sustainability are more significant than ever. Since the industrial sector is accountable for a sizable portion of the total energy consumption, efficient energy management in industries is of supreme importance. In this regard, the Industry 4.0 approach along with cutting-edge technologies which advance in its context are expected to transform existing industries into smart ones, being capable of managing energy consumption in more efficient and sustainable ways. To this end, this survey article overviews these Industry 4.0 technological trends of which the integration into the industrial sector enables smart energy management and identifies some of the corresponding challenges regarding this issue.