1, the independent report “Industrial Energy Efficiency Handbook” highlights the current 10 initiatives to help industrial sector energy efficiency

2, energy saving and efficiency will significantly reduce energy costs and emissions in the short and medium term while ensuring productivity

3. Industry is the world’s largest consumer of electricity, natural gas and coal, accounting for 42% of total electricity demand

As energy costs rise and climate issues become more pressing, businesses around the world are under unprecedented pressure. A new report from the Energy Efficiency Initiative shows that improving energy efficiency in industry is one of the fastest and most effective ways for companies to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The Energy Efficiency Initiative is a global forum for around 200 companies and organizations to share insights, best practices and commitments towards a more energy efficient world.

The newly published “Industrial Energy Efficiency Handbook” lists 10 initiatives that can quickly help companies achieve energy efficiency, cost reduction and emission reduction, and highlights a series of mature and widely applicable technology solutions that can achieve immediate results, improve return on investment, and achieve scale deployment.

Click on “Read the original” at the end of the article to view the full report

Kevin Lane, senior programme Manager for Energy Efficiency at the International Energy Agency, said:

Energy saving and efficiency increase is a win-win situation for enterprises and the climate. While industry needs to address climate change on all fronts, such as increasing the use of renewable energy, investing in low-carbon processes and developing circular business models, energy efficiency gains as business-focused opportunities offer the best prospects for reducing emissions in the short term. The 10 initiatives covered in this report are known cost-effective resources that can be deployed quickly and at scale to help businesses turn climate ambition into concrete action.

According to the International Energy Agency, industry is the world’s largest consumer of electricity, gas and coal, accounting for 42% of total electricity demand, equivalent to more than 34 edoules of energy. 1 Among the world’s top five energy consumers (the United States, China, India, Russia and Japan), the steel, chemical and petrochemical industries are the largest energy consumers. In the current inflationary environment, such energy consumption carries a high cost. These energy consumption also produced 9 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to 45% of total direct end-user emissions in 2021, according to the IEA.

Respondents to the report included ABB, Alfa Laval, DHL Group, the International Energy Agency, Microsoft and ETH Zurich. They made a wide range of recommendations, including conducting energy audits and selecting industrial equipment properly to avoid wasting energy. Moving data from on-premises servers to the cloud can save IT systems about 90% of their energy consumption. 2 Accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels through electrification of industrial fleets, converting gas-fired boilers to heat pumps, or using well-maintained heat exchangers can also contribute to energy efficiency.

Additional initiatives include installing sensors and real-time digital energy monitoring systems to look for “ghost assets” that consume power even when in standby, while digital twins can simulate energy efficiency without disrupting production. The use of smart building solutions to control power systems, lighting, shutters and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems will also help industrial facilities achieve energy savings.

The report also recommends

Install a frequency converter, which can increase the energy efficiency of the motor drive system by up to 30%, resulting in immediate cost reduction benefits. If the more than 300 million industrial motor drive systems currently in operation were replaced with optimized high-efficiency motors, global electricity consumption could be reduced by up to 10%.

Click on “Read the original” at the end of the article to view the full report

Tarak Mehta

Global President, ABB Motion Control Division

Existing energy efficiency solutions can help industry mitigate climate change and reduce energy costs, while avoiding impact on performance and productivity. With the advancement of energy saving and efficiency technology in recent years, the potential for improvement in the industrial field is huge and ripe. This important report shows business managers the path beyond cost savings through shutdowns, and there are practical ways to reduce energy use and reduce energy costs while ensuring continued operations.

Note: The Industrial Energy Efficiency Handbook is co-produced by the Energy Efficiency Action. The copyright and interpretation of this report are reserved by REUTERS EVENTS, 2022.

ABB is a technology leader in electrical and automation that enables a more sustainable and efficient future. ABB integrates engineering expertise and software technology into solutions that optimize manufacturing, transportation, energy and operations. With a history of more than 130 years of excellence, ABB’s approximately 105,000 employees worldwide are committed to driving innovation and accelerating industrial transformation. www.abb.com

Energy conservation and efficiency improvement

It is a global initiative that brings together many like-minded stakeholders to take innovative actions to build a more energy-efficient world. The initiative was launched by ABB in 2021 and has received a positive response from the industry, with around 200 companies joining the initiative as of November 2022.