Abstract
Increased global competition and resource scarcity drives industrial companies to cut costs. Energy can be a significant component of such cuts, particularly for energy-intensive companies. Improving energy efficiency in industry is complex, as it pertains to various energy-using processes that are heavily intertwined. One such process is the compressed air system (CAS), which is used in most industrial companies worldwide. Since energy efficiency improvement measures for various types of energy-using processes differ, technology-specific measures might encounter different barriers to and drivers for energy efficiency. The same applies to the non-energy benefits (NEBs) related to energy efficiency improvement measures; since measures vary between various energy-using processes, the perceived NEBs might be different as well. The aim of this paper is to study the barriers to, drivers for and NEBs of CAS energy efficiency improvement measures from the perspectives of three actors. Carried out as an interview study combined with a questionnaire, the paper merges the perspectives of users, audit experts and suppliers of CASs. The results showed that the major barriers are related to the investment, or are of an organisational character, and that organisational and economic factors seemed to be important for making positive decisions on energy efficiency investments and measures in CASs. Major NEBs for CASs include productivity gains and the avoidance of capital expenditures. The results of this study also address the importance of having a comprehensive approach to recognise additional effects of energy efficiency improvements in CASs.
Highlights
Industrial energy efficiency is viewed as necessary for sustainability due to growing concerns over the environment and the scarcity of resources (IPCC 2014)
The main barriers are related to the investment, i.e. financial and economic issues, such as access to capital and costs related to the implementation of energy efficiency measures
As stated by the respondents, the primary issue is other priorities for capital investments, and the second is access to capital, followed by lack of budget funding, energy objectives not integrated into operating maintenance or purchasing procedures, cost of identifying opportunities, analysing cost effectiveness and tendering, cost of production disruption/hassle/inconvenience, of which all, except energy objectives not integrated into operating maintenance or purchasing procedures, could be considered economic-related barriers
Summary
Industrial energy efficiency is viewed as necessary for sustainability due to growing concerns over the environment and the scarcity of resources (IPCC 2014). Increased global competition drives industrial companies to strive for efficiency, and since most of the processes in an industrial company are related to energy, continuous improvements in energy efficiency will contribute to increasing a company’s overall efficiency (Johansson et al 2011). The generation of compressed air is one energy-using process that is used in various applications in most industrial companies worldwide. A compressed air system (CAS) often supports many production processes (e.g. assembling, clamping, cushioning, processing, cleaning and drying) in a company (e.g. Björk et al 2003). Most CASs are tailored to fit a specific company and its related production. The measures for improving energy efficiency in CAS generally apply to most systems and companies
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