MONITORING & METERING


Optimise your electricity use


Continuously and actively monitoring energy


consumption at each stage of the manufacturing process can ensure it runs in the most energy efficient way, helping deliver benefits to


the bottom line. Will Darby, managing director of Carlo Gavazzi, comments


M


ost manufacturers today will be looking to reduce their electricity consumption.


However, for many, electricity use is not optimised because managers do not have sufficient information to make informed decisions. But, installing metering on all of the primary


energy-consuming plant in a factory or manufacturing facility will provide managers with a huge amount of useful data – and this data can be used to optimise the way a plant is run. Carlo Gavazzi’s EM24 3-phase energy analyser,


for example, is suited to both active and reactive energy metering of individual items of machinery with a high power consumption; while for single phase equipment the company’s EM111 and EM112 1-phase energy analysers can be used.


ANALYSING ENERGY USE The EM24 energy analysers proved particularly useful at one automotive parts manufacturing plant. Here, the operator wanted to be able to see how much energy each CNC machine was consuming for each specific machining processes, such as milling and drilling, in order to assign an energy cost to each component. To record and transmit the data, the energy


analyser units were connected to Carlo Gavazzi’s UWP Energy Management module, a micro-PC which is pre-installed with a web server. This smart energy monitoring solution makes it a simple task to determine energy usage of both individual items of equipment and the production facility’s overall energy usage, both as real time consumption and as historical data either in the facility or viewed remotely. The data will allow


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operators to see how much power is being used, where it is being used and when. In addition to the manufacturing plant, the


energy used by HVAC equipment, lighting circuits, computer servers and other power-consuming auxiliary equipment should also be metered to form a complete picture of energy usage patterns. The summation of energy used in production


with energy used by ancillary plant will enable a business to determine how much of its existing electricity supply is being used and when. Accurate energy consumption data will enable a business to understand how much electricity capacity is available for a business to confidently invest in new machinery or to expand production. Alternatively, if the supply is far bigger than is needed, there might be an opportunity to press for a reduction in the electricity supply tariff to save on costs. For larger manufacturing facilities, particularly


those with multiple production lines, a centralised energy monitoring solution will allow all of the collected data to be pooled and analysed to help paint a bigger picture of energy use patterns. Such information might be useful in helping enable a business to control electricity grid network charges, particularly if it means minimising or eliminating the use of grid power during Triad charge periods.


COPING WITH TRIAD CHARGE PERIODS Dealing with peaks in electricity demand – particularly during the winter months – is one of the key challenges faced by the National Grid. Triad charges were introduced to make energy really expensive at times when the electricity grid


ENERGY MANAGEMENT - Autumn 2022


is under stress, with the intention that large users of energy will stop using as much energy and demand will drop, which helps avoid the cost of reinforcing the grid. Under the Triad system consumers pay a charge based on their location and their electricity use over three 30-minute Triad periods. Triad periods occur when the transmission network is operating at its highest loads between the months of November to February. Once a manufacturer has visibility of


consumption it can start to adapt its processes to optimise energy. There are many ways to minimise consumption, such as turning off lights when not in use. Suspending early evening production or re-scheduling production times can also dramatically help with the reduction of energy use during anticipated Triad periods. Visibility of electricity consumption afforded by


a comprehensive metering and control strategy will also allow a business to decide whether it is feasible to maintain or shift the core production processes during grid peaks, or to consider off- grid options such as battery back-up now that advances in battery technology and other energy storage techniques are making building level electricity storage achievable. Energy consuming systems evolve over time


as equipment is added or replaced, or building usage or manufacturing processes change. Monitoring and metering should therefore be seen as a fundamental tool in enabling a facility to be running efficiently.


Carlo Gavazzi www.carlogavazzi.co.uk


www.energymanagementmag.co.uk


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