Implementation and rejection of industrial steam system energy efficiency measures

Steam systems consume approximately one third of energy applied at US industrial facilities. To reduce energy consumption, steam system energy assessments have been conducted on a wide range of industry types over the course of 5 years through the Energy Savings Assessment (ESA) program administered by the US Department of Energy (US DOE). ESA energy assessments result in energy efficiency measure recommendations that are given potential energy and energy cost savings and potential implementation cost values. Saving and cost metrics that measure the impact recommended measures will have at facilities, described as percentages of facility baseline energy and energy cost, are developed from ESA data and used in analyses. Developed savings and cost metrics are examined along with implementation and rejection rates of recommended steam system energy efficiency measures. Based on analyses, implementation of steam system energy efficiency measures is driven primarily by cost metrics: payback period and measure implementation cost as a percentage of facility baseline energy cost (implementation cost percentage). Stated reasons for rejecting recommended measures are primarily based upon economic concerns. Additionally, implementation rates of measures are not only functions of savings and cost metrics, but time as well.     

Energy intensities and greenhouse gas emission mitigation in global agriculture

Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions are closely linked. This paper reviews agricultural options to reduce energy intensities and their impacts, discusses important accounting issues related to system boundaries, land scarcity, and measurement units and compares agricultural energy intensities and improvement potentials on an international level. Agricultural development in recent decades, while increasing yields, has led to lower average energy efficiencies when comparing the 1960s and the mid 1980s. In the two decades thereafter, energy intensities in developed countries increased, but with little impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Efficiency differences across countries in the year 2000 suggest a maximum improvement potential of 500 million tons of CO₂ annually. If only below average countries would increase their energy efficiency to average levels of the year 2000, the resulting emission reductions would be below 200 million tons of CO₂ annually.

Evaluation of China's local enforcement of energy efficiency standards and labeling programs for appliances and equipment

AimsThis paper aims to evaluate local enforcement of China's mandatory appliance and equipment energy efficiency standards and labeling programs, two increasingly important policies for meeting national energy and carbon reduction targets. The expected energy savings of efficiency standards and labels can be fully realized only with strong enforcement to ensure compliance for all products sold. This paper provides comprehensive retrospective evaluation of the methodologies, results, progress and remaining challenges in pilot enforcement projects initiated in the absence of consistent national check-testing focused on energy efficiency.ScopeThis paper's scope is focused on 2006–2009 pilot local check-tests conducted to verify appliance and equipment compliance with China's mandatory energy label and efficiency standards.ConclusionsThis paper finds both improvement and some backsliding in compliance rates over time. Compared to earlier efforts, 2009 check-tests covered a wider regional and product scope but demonstrated greater variation in compliance rates. Labeling display and energy efficiency compliance was generally high across regions and most products, but lower compliance rates were observed in less economically developed regions and for lighting and industrial products. Based on these findings, areas for improvement in local awareness, product sampling methodology, check-testing tools and procedures are identified.     

Implications of process energy efficiency improvements for primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions at the national level

The improvement of energy efficiency is seen as one of the most promising measures for reducing global CO₂ emissions. However, the emission reduction potential may seem different from the industrial plant and policy-maker’s perspectives. This paper evaluates the influences of process heat conservation on CHP electricity production, primary energy consumption and CO₂ emissions from both the mill site and national perspectives. The results indicate that heat conservation in an industrial process may lead to varying results in primary energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, depending on the form of marginal heat production used at the mill site. In the CHP process, reduction of the heat load lowers electricity production, and this reduction may have to be compensated for at the national level. Therefore, the energy conservation potential in industry has to be evaluated by taking into account the connections to the outside society, which means that a wider system boundary than a mill site has to be used. This study demonstrates by theoretical analysis and case mill studies the magnitude of the effects of system boundary definition when evaluating the contribution of an individual energy efficiency investment towards fulfilling the commitment to reduce CO₂ emissions at the national level.     

An energy efficient Swedish pulp and paper industry – exploring barriers to and driving forces for cost-effective energy efficiency investments

Despite the need for increased industrial energy efficiency, studies indicate that cost-effective energy efficiency measures are not always implemented, which is explained by the existence of barriers to energy efficiency. This paper investigates whether this holds for the Swedish pulp and paper industry, and if so, investigates the barriers inhibiting and the driving forces stressing cost-effective energy efficiency investments. By so, this case study covers about 2% of the EU-25 industrial end-use of energy. The overall results from a questionnaire show that there is an energy efficiency gap in the sector and that the largest barriers were technical risks such as risk of production disruptions, cost of production disruption/hassle/inconvenience, technology inappropriate at the mill, lack of time and other priorities, lack of access to capital, and slim organization. As regards the driving forces for energy efficiency, the highest ranked driving forces were cost reductions resulting from lower energy use, people with real ambition, long-term energy strategy, the threat of rising energy prices, the electricity certificate system, the PFE. The results show that many of the barriers and driving forces were not solely market-related, e.g., lack of time or other priorities, slim organization, other priorities for capital investments, lack of staff awareness, and long decision chains indicate that firm-specific barriers plays an important role. These barriers may not be overcome by market-related public policy instruments but is rather a consequence of how the energy issue is organized within the firms. The second and the third largest driving forces, people with real ambition and a long-term energy strategy further support this.

A thermodynamic approach to economics

The economic theory presented in this paper develops a theme first published by the author in Energy Economics¹. The concept that economic value is fundamentally equivalent to energy value both at a macro and micro level is investigated in some depth. Economic equivalents of the first and second laws of thermodynamics are derived and inflation is shown to be equivalent to net cycle entropy gain. A simple business cycle is constructed from a number of basic economic processes, and a series of efficiency measures are examined, including overall efficiency, work ratio, net work output, cycle inflation, growth and stock turnover. A model of the money system is developed and the effects of monetary policy are examined. The difficulties of deriving a standard scale of productive content (a necessary part of the valuation of economic goods and services) are analysed. It is hoped that the paper will open up new avenues for future work, particularly of statistical investigations of macro and micro systems.     

Energy efficiency improvement potentials and a low energy demand scenario for the global industrial sector

The adoption of energy efficiency measures can significantly reduce industrial energy use. This study estimates the future industrial energy consumption under two energy demand scenarios: (1) a reference scenario that follows business as usual trends and (2) a low energy demand scenario that takes into account the implementation of energy efficiency improvement measures. These scenarios cover energy demand in the period 2009–2050 for ten world regions. The reference scenario is based on the International Energy Agency World Energy Outlook (2011 edition) up to 2035 and is extrapolated by Gross Domestic Product projections for the period 2035–2050. According to the reference scenario, the industrial energy use will increase from 105 EJ in 2009 to 185 EJ in 2050 (excluding fuel use as a feedstock). It is estimated that, with the adoption of energy efficient technologies and increased recycling, the growth in industrial energy use in 2050 can be limited to 140 EJ, an annual energy use increase of 0.7 % compared with the 2009 case. The 2050 industrial energy use in the low energy demand scenario is estimated to be 24 % lower than the 2050 energy use in the reference scenario. The results of this study highlight the importance of industrial energy efficiency by providing insights of the energy savings potentials in different regions of the world.     

The forest products industry at an energy/climate crossroads

Transformational energy and climate policies are being debated worldwide that could have significant impact upon the future of the forest products industry. Because woody biomass can produce alternative transportation fuels, low-carbon electricity, and numerous other “green” products in addition to traditional paper and lumber commodities, the future use of forest resources is highly uncertain. Using the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), this paper assesses the future of the forest products industry under three possible U.S. policy scenarios: (1) a national renewable electricity standard, (2) a national policy of carbon constraints, and (3) incentives for industrial energy efficiency. In addition, we discuss how these policy scenarios might interface with the recently strengthened U.S. renewable fuels standards. The principal focus is on how forest products including residues might be utilized under different policy scenarios, and what such market shifts might mean for electricity and biomass prices, as well as energy consumption and carbon emissions. The results underscore the value of incentivizing energy efficiency in a portfolio of energy and climate policies in order to moderate electricity and biomass price escalation while strengthening energy security and reducing CO₂ emissions.     

Comparing the statistical distributions of energy efficiency in manufacturing: meta-analysis of 24 Case studies to develop industry-specific energy performance indicators (EPI)

There is growing interest among policy makers and others regarding the role that industrial energy efficiency can play in mitigation of climate change. For over 10 years, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has supported the development of sector-specific industrial energy efficiency case studies using statistical analysis of plant level on energy use, controlling for a variety of plant production activities and characteristics. These case studies are the basis for the ENERGY STAR^® Energy Performance Indicators (EPIs). These case studies fill an important gap by estimating the distribution of efficiency using detailed, sector-specific, plant-level data. These estimated distributions allow Energy Star to create “energy-efficient plant benchmarks” in a variety of industries using the upper quartile of the estimated efficiency distribution. Case studies have been conducted for 14 broad industries, 2 dozen sectors, and many more detailed product types. This paper is a meta-analysis of the approach that has been used in this research and the general findings regarding the estimated distribution of performance within and across industries. We find that there are few sectors that are well represented by a simple “energy per widget” benchmark that less energy-intensive sectors tend to exhibit a wider range of within-industry efficiency than energy-intensive sectors, but changes over time in the level and range of energy efficiency do not reveal any single pattern.     

Tradeable energy efficiency certificates in Australia

Tradeable energy efficiency certificates are created in Australia as part of a larger baseline-and-credit emissions trading scheme, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme (GGAS) that operates in the State of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. GGAS aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the generation and use of electricity through project-based activities to offset the production of emissions. GGAS applies in two jurisdictions that are part of a wholesale electricity market operating across a total of six jurisdictions and this imposes some constraints on scheme design. Nevertheless, GGAS has developed a set of comprehensive operational systems and procedures to validate energy efficiency projects and verify the abatement they produce. To the end of calendar year 2006, nearly ten million energy efficiency certificates have been created under GGAS, representing nearly ten million tonnes of CO2-e abatement. Some significant issues have arisen regarding the creation of certificates from the mass distribution of small energy-efficient household appliances. However, the experience with GGAS still demonstrates that tradeable energy efficiency certificates can be an effective mechanism for incentivising greenhouse gas emissions abatement in the context of a baseline-and-credit emissions trading scheme.

Capturing energy efficiency in European iron and steel production—comparing specific energy consumption and Malmquist productivity index

European iron and steel producers are working towards increased energy efficiency to meet requirements set by European policies such as the Energy Efficiency Directive. In this study, we show that the specific energy consumption (SEC), representing the iron and steel sector in the Odyssee energy efficiency index (ODEX)—the tool for policy evaluation recommended by the European Commission—is insufficient for capturing energy efficiency trends of European iron and steel production. European producers focus on niche markets, diversifying and specialising their set of products well beyond crude steel, which is the benchmark product for deriving the SEC. We compare the SEC with the more comprehensive Malmquist productivity index (MPI) methodology, which is calculated using data envelopment analysis (DEA) techniques. An evaluation of energy efficiency trends during 2000–2010 showed that the SEC overestimated energy efficiency improvements for European steel industries, while underestimating the improvements achieved by Swedish steel industries. A comparison between the SEC, the MPI/DEA approach, and energy intensity based on value added in the Swedish case provides further insight to the methodological differences between the approaches. We conclude that the approaches highlight different aspects of energy efficiency analyses and that the SEC is not sufficient for capturing the energy efficiency of steel industries.     

Marketing energy efficiency: perceived benefits and barriers to home energy efficiency

Energy efficiency contributes significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the associated mitigation of climate change. The uptake of energy efficiency measures in the residential sector requires significant effort on the part of homeowners or residents. Past research has revealed that cost savings and social interaction motivate energy efficiency behavior. This study expands on this research by examining the hypothesis that there are regional differences in what motivates individuals to implement home energy efficiency upgrades. Two surveys (N?=?320 and N?=?423) examine the perceived benefits of and barriers to undertaking home energy efficiency improvements in varying geographic regions across the USA and test marketing materials that target these benefits and barriers. The hypothesis that there are regional differences in perceptions of energy efficiency was confirmed. Cost savings were found to be the most important benefit to individuals across the country. Energy efficiency being a good investment is either the second or third most important benefit across all regions. Increased comfort is the last of the top three most important benefits to those in the South and Midwest, while those in the Northeast demonstrated interest in the increase in home retail value associated with energy efficiency, and those in the West found the environmental benefits to be important. High costs of energy efficiency improvements were found to be the most commonly perceived barrier. Reported likelihood to enroll in a home energy efficiency program offered by one’s employer was predicted by perceived likelihood that coworkers would enroll, income level, and personal opinions about the importance of energy efficiency.     

Energy use analysis of selected palm-kernel oil mills in south western Nigeria

Energy use patterns and utilisation efficiencies in 40 factories producing palm kernel oil (PKO) in southwestern part of Nigeria were studied. The factories were stratified into small, medium and large scale categories based on the mode of operations and production capacities. Questionnaires were administered on the factories to obtain historical data on petrol, diesel and electricity consumption and PKO production outputs for seven years (1998–2004). Energy use efficiency indicators employed include: energy intensity (EI), energy cost per unit product (EC/P), energy ratio (ER), food energy ratio (FER) and percentage oil yield by weight. Results of the study indicated that averagely, 0.58, 0.53 and 0.74 GJ/10³ l of PKO were needed in the small, medium and large PKO factories, respectively. The average food energy ratios in the small, medium and large mills are 2.48, 2.53 and 2.14, respectively. The corresponding values of PKO conversion ratio are 0.43, 0.50 and 0.35. Electrical energy consumption in medium and large mills was lower than thermal energy due to irregularity and decline in electricity supply from the national grid. The results of the study has provided required baseline information needed for budgeting, comparison of yearly energy consumption, forecasting energy requirements and planning expansion in PKO factories.     

Sustainable energy expos 2003

IIR Exhibitions is holding an Asian version of its successful UK event this year. Sustainable Energy Expo 2003 is being held again at Olympia from 21–23 October. As last year Energy Efficiency Expo 2003 will run alongside this as well as a brand new Environmental Solutions Expo. Conferences will run along side the expos again this year, with the Renewable Power Association holding its annual event and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) also present holding its Sustainable Futures Committee Conference. Sustainable Energy and Energy Efficiency Asia is taking place on 18–19 November 2003, bringing the international energy industry to Singapore to deliberate the advances in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Asia. The high level conference programme, organized by ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and IIR Exhibitions Pte Ltd covers all the renewable energy options including solar, wind, bio-energy, hydropower and geothermal. For more information on the UK show visit: www.sustainable-energy.info and for the Asian show visit: www.sustainablenergyasia.comThis is a short news story only. Visit www.re-focus.net for the latest renewable energy industry news.     

Assessment of power-to-power renewable energy storage based on the smart integration of hydrogen and micro gas turbine technologies

Power-to-Power is a process whereby the surplus of renewable power is stored as chemical energy in the form of hydrogen. Hydrogen can be used in situ or transported to the consumption node. When power is needed again, hydrogen can be consumed for power generation. Each of these processes incurs energy losses, leading to a certain round-trip efficiency (Energy Out/Energy In). Round-trip efficiency is calculated considering the following processes; water electrolysis for hydrogen production, compressed, liquefied or metal-hydride for hydrogen storage, fuel-cell-electric-truck for hydrogen distribution and micro-gas turbine for hydrogen power generation. The maximum achievable round-trip efficiency is of 29% when considering solid oxide electrolysis along with metal hydride storage. This number goes sharply down when using either alkaline or proton exchange membrane electrolyzers, 22.2% and 21.8% respectively. Round-trip efficiency is further reduced if considering other storage media, such as compressed- or liquefied-H₂. However, the aim of the paper is to highlight there is still a large margin to increase Power-to-Power round-trip efficiency, mainly from the hydrogen production and power generation blocks, which could lead to round-trip efficiencies of around 40%–42% in the next decade for Power-to-Power energy storage systems with micro-gas turbines.     

Energy efficiency investments in Kraft pulp mills given uncertain climate policy

Energy efficiency measures in pulp mills can potentially reduce the consumption of biofuel, which can instead be exported and used elsewhere. In this paper a methodology is proposed for analysing the robustness of energy efficiency investments in Kraft pulp mills or other industrial process plants equipped with biofuelled combined heat and power units, given uncertain future climate policy. The outlook for biofuel and electricity prices is a key factor for deciding if energy efficiency measures are cost competitive. CO ₂ emission charges resulting from climate policy are internalized and thus included in electricity and biofuel prices. The proposed methodology includes a price-setting model for biofuel that assumes a constant price ratio between biofuel and electricity in the Nordic countries. Thirteen energy efficiency retrofit measures are analysed for an existing Swedish Kraft pulp mill. Special attention is paid to heat-integrated evaporation using excess process heat. Four possible energy market development paths are considered that reflect different climate policies. Pulp mill energy efficiency investments considered are shown to be robust with respect to uncertain climate policy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Life cycle cost analysis of energy efficiency design options for refrigerators in Brazil

The purpose of this paper was to present the results of a life cycle cost analysis concerning the purchase and operation of a more efficient popular refrigerator model compared with a baseline design in Brazil. The summarized results may be useful for organizations working to promote sustainable energy development. This paper specifically focuses on refrigerators, since their energy consumption is predicted to constitute over 30% of the total average domestic electricity bill in Brazilian households. If all new Brazilian refrigerators had an energy efficiency at the level consistent with the least life cycle cost of ownership, it would result in an annual savings of 2.8 billion dollars (US$) in electricity bills, 45 TWh of electricity demand, and 18 Mt of CO₂ emissions, with a respective payback period of 7 years which is less than half the average estimated lifetime of a refrigerator. The analysis was conducted following the guidelines of similar analyses available from the US Department of Energy and the Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program.

Review of policies and measures for energy efficiency in industry sector

Energy efficiency in industry plays key roles in improving energy security, environmental sustainability and economic performance. It is particularly important in strategies to mitigate climate change. The evidence of great potential for cost-effective efficiency-derived reductions in industrial energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have prompted governments to implement numerous policies and measures aimed at improving their manufacturing industries’ energy efficiency. What can be learned from these many and varied initiatives? This paper provides foundation for policy analysis for enhancing energy efficiency and conservation in industry, by surveying more than 300 policies, encompassing about 570 measures, implemented by governments in IEA countries, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. It outlines the measures’ main features, their incidence of use, and their connections with specific technical actions and key stakeholders (i.e., how and where measures affect the energy efficiency of industry). It also examines the key features underlying the measures’ success: (1) potential to reduce energy use and CO₂ emissions cost-efficiently; (2) ease of policy development, execution and assessment and (3) ancillary societal effects.     

Quantifying the savings of an industry energy efficiency programme

In a developed economy, improving the energy performance of the industry sector can make an important contribution to achieving national energy efficiency goals. Policy measures aimed at increasing energy efficiency in industry must be proven to be effective. In Ireland one such measure is the Large Industry Energy Network (LIEN) programme. LIEN is a voluntary network of large energy users, facilitated by the national energy agency, working to maintain strong energy management practices. In this paper, we combine top-down methods for analysing national energy statistics with company-level figures supplied by LIEN participants to quantify the energy savings achieved by the companies and to determine the fraction of national savings that can be attributed to them. By comparing the collective performance of participant companies with the performance of the rest of industry we provide an indication of the effectiveness of the programme and quantify the savings that may be directly attributable to it. These figures when combined with national energy forecasts for industry help us assess the likely contribution of the programme to future national energy savings targets.