We identify seven solutions to improve energy efficiency and electricity savings in energy-intensive industries, those whose energy costs account for more than 50 percent of production costs. If you are a site manager and your energy costs have skyrocketed, this article is of interest to you.
There are industries whose energy costs can account more than 50 percent of production costs. These are the so-called electro-intensive industries. They represent more than 20,000 large, small and medium-sized companies with high energy consumption (25% of national electricity consumption, according to the associations that represent them) and more than 660,000 direct jobs.
- These industries are closely linked to sectors such as chemicals, iron and steel, industrial gases, metallurgy…
- Also included are those that have already taken the step of transformation to Industry 4.0 and are very advanced in their automation and digitalisation processes, such as automotive, logistics centres, agri-food, data centres…
- Finally, large companies and entities linked to the service sector (railway companies, airports, hospitals, public sector…) are also electro-intensive industries.
“They represent 25% of national electricity consumption”.
Electro-intensive industries: How rising energy prices are affecting them
The current price increases and volatility in the energy sector are leading these companies to critical moments in their management. In some sectors, part of their facilities have even been shut down. This puts production activity and jobs at serious risk if this situation continues over time.
According to business associations, Spanish industry has lost 23% of its production and 19% of employment since the economic crisis of 2008. It now finds itself in a situation of rising costs due to the escalation of gas and electricity prices.
The rise in gas prices and CO₂ emission rights – the two main causes of the price explosion, according to the representatives of these industries – are common phenomena throughout Europe, but they insist that the situation in Spain is particularly critical due to differences in compensation and regulations with other neighbor countries.
The AEGE barometer already showed that Spanish industry paid between 20 and 25 euros more for electricity per megawatt hour in 2020 than in Germany and France. Half of these differences were due to electricity prices and the other half to higher compensation and lower regulated costs (network tolls, charges, fees and taxes). Business groups consider that this situation has worsened.
The Alliance for the Competitiveness of Spanish Industry calls for the incorporation into national policies of the tolls and compensation systems already applied in other EU countries such as France and Germany, with which we compete in foreign markets, as well as the progressive incorporation of the National Fund for the Sustainability of the Electricity System (FNSSE) in its current terms.
As well as the crisis compensation measures requested from the government, and the pending national or European regulations that will be resolved in the coming months, there are a series of solutions that these industries can immediately adopt in their electrical installations to improve their energy efficiency and, consequently, also increase electricity savings.
“In addition to public measures, there are solutions that industries can immediately adopt in their electrical installations to improve their energy efficiency and save on electricity”.
Electro-intensive industries: 7 solutions for energy efficiency and electricity savings
ZGR Corporación has been providing solutions to the industry since 1998. We are a national manufacturer with expertise in power electronics and the most advanced storage technologies.
At ZGR we develop “end-to-end” applications, and our differential focus is on energy efficiency, achieving in all our projects an increase in the production and maximum profitability of our clients’ electrical and solar energy.
We are helping industry to mitigate their current energy costs with 7 differentiated solutions:
– Power outage immunisation systems for logistics centers
– Dynamic voltage restoration systems for power ratings from 0.3 – 1MW
– Medium voltage dynamic recloser systems (3 MW)
– Mass battery storage systems
– Systems for the protection of critical processes in the automotive and industrial gas industry
– Photovoltaic power generation and storage systems
– ZGR technical and maintenance service 365/24 h
The challenge of energy efficiency in the electro-intensive industry
We are moving towards an ecosystem where energy options will be more diverse than ever before. Digital transformation and the new industrial revolution will not be possible without flexible and distributed energy systems.
These systems will need to be increasingly efficient, robust and highly productive if they are made to limit the costs of an automated and robotized production, where energy will be a highly demanded commodity.
The electrification of the economy is a reality. In this context of accelerating energy transformation, ZGR Corporation is with the electro-intensive industries. It is a partner that works in cooperation with their innovation, production or maintenance teams to develop tailor-made solutions to meet their needs.
Your energy is our challenge. Call us because we will be happy to help you, we make your energy efficiency challenge our challenge.
References:
- AEGE, Asociación de Empresas con Gran Consumo de Energía
- La Alianza por la Competitividad de la Industria Española
