PRACTICAL NEAR-TERM STRATEGIES FOR IDENTIFYING AND ACHIEVING ENERGY COST SAVINGS AT INDUSTRIAL SITES

摘要

Efforts to capture near-term energy cost savings at industrial sites traditionally have focused on housekeeping efforts and improved operational/maintenance practices to reduce losses. However, the scope for, and realization of, energy cost savings can be significantly increased through monitoring & targeting (M&T) programs. M&T involves more rigorous and systematic monitoring of individual energy users, coupled with an organizational commitment and pro-active program to adjust operational practices and controls to minimize energy use as plant operation varies. Key to successful M&T is the development of meaningful relationships (correlations) between dependent and independent variables that will allow energy use targets to be dynamic. Such targets provide plant staff with rational performance goals for energy use as plant operation varies, while also facilitating the quantification of M&T's benefits - or, where M&T is not yet in place, of the resulting lost opportunities. Recently, Veritech has participated in plant-wide analyses of the energy-saving potential in several domestic and international locations. This paper will review those activities, which identified considerable untapped potential for increasing low-cost, near-term energy savings, and discuss some additional analytical and organizational approaches that promise to further enhance such efforts in the future. The discussion focuses on the site steam system, which is at the heart of electric power and thermal energy generation and use.