FEATURE ENERGY EFFICIENCY & LIGHTING
Manufacturing energy savings made more affordable
demand while generating financial rewards for companies whose assets can reduce consumption during peak demand periods, increase consumption during times of over generation and supply energy throughout times where supply is greater than generation. This process of partaking in Demand Side Response, or DSR, promotes the flexible use of energy through intelligent systems that can respond quickly to the changing requirements of the grid, through offering incentives to businesses that can temporarily reduce demand at peak times, or increase their consumption when the grid has an excess of supply. Taking place in energy arbitrage –
by Dr Alex Mardapittas, CEO of Powerstar I
n energy-intensive sectors such as manufacturing, energy costs can account for up to one fifth of all operational costs. Therefore, it stands to reason that reducing the amount of energy consumed will deliver not only financial benefits but also offer a reduction in carbon emissions for the UK’s industrial sector. Many production processes consume vast amounts of energy. The initial challenge for manufacturers is to identify how and where efficiencies can be made. This will involve investing in new technology however, this frequently comes at a price that must be off-set against the achievable cost savings and benefits to the business. One example of such technology is an energy storage solution. This can help achieve significant savings on energy costs and, when offered by an experienced supplier, can include a flexible payment arrangement, removing the need for a sizeable, upfront capital investment.
AN INCENTIVE TO SAVE Initiatives such as the UK’s ‘Clean Growth Strategy’ need to be underpinned by an efficient, responsive and flexible grid – a level of stability which the current grid is unable to provide. An alternative is the concept of a decentralised energy network, where the central grid is
18 JUNE 2018 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT
supported by smaller, local microgrids that have the ability to utilise local generation and distribute electricity independently from the grid. By coupling this with an energy management system (EMS), energy users could intelligently manage their own supply and demand, offering a far higher degree of flexibility than available at present. In addition to reducing energy bills,
smart storage solutions offer a number of additional benefits. Energy resilience is a key consideration for manufacturers, with today’s highly automated production systems dependant on a stable, robust electricity supply. Research shows that power failures can cost an organisation around 17 per cent of its annual revenue, equating to around £2.8m for the typical UK medium-sized business. Leading storage assets can boast
capabilities such as full Uninterruptible Power Supply – or UPS – that guard against costly power failures, providing support to the electrical supply to a manufacturing facility within milliseconds of an issue being detected, while removing the need for additional system back-up.
SUPPORT
Intelligent storage solutions can be connected to the National Grid to provide support, which delivers the added benefit of helping to support the grid to balance
where the user stores energy generated at off or mid-peak times then sells it back to the grid during peak periods for a profit – represents a useful revenue stream for businesses. The latest battery storage solutions in particular are well placed to take advantage of this, as their rapid response capabilities enable the effective management of demand and the smart, flexible use of energy through an intelligent energy management system. In addition to revenue opportunities, the responsive, adaptable use of energy that DSR promotes allows for better use of renewable energy. This is stored when it is available and supplied to the grid when demand requires; helping the grid to balance demand through DSR negates the intermittency of the renewable supply while maximising its use when it is available. This in turn increases the proportion of renewable energy in the UK’s energy mix, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and CO2 emissions.
PAYING FOR ITSELF The viability of implementing energy storage solutions is increasing as leading providers introduce flexible funding options that allow customers to use the technology and receive the benefits without investing a significant portion of capital expenditure. Flexible payment choices, rather than outright purchase, allows organisations to spread the costs of the investment while enjoying benefits such as savings, greater resilience and new revenue generation opportunities.
Powerstar
www.powerstar.com T: 01142 576 200
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