FEATURE ECO POWER
MANAGING ENERGY SUCCESSFULLY DURING RAPID CHANGE AND
GLOBAL CHALLENGE By Sleman Saliba, global product manager, energy management, ABB
T
he power sector is undergoing significant change. Increased
electrification, pressure to reduce emissions, demographic changes and new power generation models have come together to introduce more complexity to the energy landscape. There is economic and geopolitical
pressure to optimise energy performance and improve energy management. Industrial producers view energy management as a strategy for increasing profitability because controlling and reducing energy consumption can reduce operational costs. However, there are significant further benefits to be found. The approach to energy management
varies based on regional energy costs, industry, and political pressure for sustainability. Globally, however, the demand for greater energy intelligence is strong. Change within the sector has happened so rapidly that many producers are discovering gaps in their knowledge when it comes to solving energy management challenges. In addition to boosting profitability,
effective energy management can meet further distinct but related objectives for industrial producers. In this article, we will explore two of these in detail: ensuring a reliable energy supply and avoiding disruption; and reducing negative environmental impact and increasing sustainability. While these goals are important ends in
themselves, they are by necessity inter- related with the profitability and productivity aims of industry and business. Our future in industry and as a society depends on our ability to make and demonstrate the case that the profit motive cannot only co-exist effectively with sustainability and energy reliability, but that they depend on each other. If a company cannot find reliable
energy, it will cease to exist, so avoiding disruption is vital. On sustainability, society will pay the
price for negative impact on the environment, with this cost in turn borne by profit-generating companies. It is in their interests to reduce environmental impact as their business viability and continued existence depend on it.
20 SUMMER 2020 | ENERGY MANAGEMENT
ENSURING A RELIABLE ENERGY SUPPLY When energy-intensive process industries experience unscheduled downtime, there can be a significant financial impact. Power supply events are among the biggest threats to industrial producers. This threat intensifies as worldwide energy demand increases. In today’s competitive landscape, no one can afford downtime. When disturbances occur, rapid recovery is critical. This can lead to additional costs related
to safety, disruption, blackouts or interruptions in monitoring capabilities, which in turn can have a further financial impact owing to associated health costs and under-utilisation of resources.
TOOLS OF EFFECTIVE ENERGY MANAGEMENT Producers demand an energy management solution that can ensure reliable and stable power supply to plants. It should offer intelligent power balancing and predictive planning capabilities, along with the capacity to automate actions to optimize operational efficiency and minimize costs. As new and renewable sources of
energy increase as a proportion of the whole, the need for producers to manage multiple power sources increases with them. New energy assets within the plant or enterprise present increased management complexities and risks, which better process power management helps to mitigate and control. A reliable energy supply can also protect
against safety risks caused by disruption and blackouts. With improved power supply reliability, plants can limit exposure to unsafe situations and keep their people and assets safe. Effective energy management considers all potential challenges to a steady supply, and aging assets and equipment are among these. Effective energy management offerings
should provide a comprehensive overview of power generation and distribution, and enable power management and control of the electrical infrastructure to contribute to a more reliable and stable electricity supply. By automating reactions to issues based on priority or criticality of the problem, they can increase uptime through prompt and intelligent response, ensuring faster recovery of power and production after a failure. Better visibility and more knowledge lead to more informed decision-making and improves asset performance while reducing risk and inefficiencies.
CASE STUDY: PETROBRAS REFINERIES IN BRAZIL Petrobras wanted to increase the productivity of their plants and to produce new low-emission fuels from renewable sources of energy. ABB Ability Process Power Manager helped increase output by as much as 40 per cent, with a significant improvement in operational efficiency brought about by integrating
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