Energy Efficiency Is the Best Way for Industry to Cut Costs and Reduce Emissions Right Now

Energy efficiency is not an if, it’s a must. It is a simple and impactful solution to a very complex existential crisis. It’s the low-hanging fruit we need to bridge our path to a fu-ture where all energy is clean energy. It is a low-hanging fruit because a lot of the solu-tions, technologies and products needed to improve energy efficiency globally already exist today. We just need to take them into use. Energy efficiency is our ‘first fuel’ for a decarbonized future.

 

Interview with Mohamed Salem, ABB Electrification Distribution Solution Division Manager and ABB Factory Manager and Ahmed Hassan, Head of Motion Business for ABB Egypt, North & Central Africa:

 

1. Eng. Mohamed Salem, how would you describe the role that energy efficiency is playing in industry nowadays?

The management of energy and improving energy efficiency has long been important for industry, houses, Transportation and commerce. It took many other surnames going from energy conservation, energy management, carbon reduction until reaching the energy efficiency phase we are living in today. This shows how energy efficiency has been in focus throughout the past 50 years and how vital it has become for industrial sector, now more than ever.

 

Nowadays, businesses around the world are facing unprecedented pressure due to the cost of energy. Improving industrial energy efficiency is the quickest way for a business to cut energy costs without compromising performance and productivi-ty. Energy efficiency also has the shortest payback time when you look at ROI. And with soaring energy prices, this payback time is even shorter, as the technology is already available to reduce energy use and bills.

2. So, what can a technology leader such as ABB do to help businesses improve their energy efficiency?

Using technology to save energy is what is ABB all about. Energy efficiency is now recognized as a resource and energy productivity that can be both accessed by utilities and others, as well as valued and traded. The question is no longer why energy efficiency, but how we can achieve it. Some actions to name a few, include going digital with digital demand/ supply management, use the clean grid systems like harmonic filters & IS limiters, compensators, high efficiency capacitors, energy storage solutions and sensor, all these technologies are of remarkable impact on efficiency of energy consumption and increase of industrial assets reliability and lowering the maintenance cost, means higher efficiency actions increase real-life operations without interrupting production processes. Smart building systems to control electrical and mechanical assets inside any building, and with the help of IoT, can analyze building use patterns and adjust temperatures, avoiding wasteful always-on heating, cooling and ventilation cutting HVAC emissions by 40% and reduce energy costs by 25%. Other suggest-ed actions would be moving data onto the cloud, rather than powering and cooling on-site servers or data centers, which can help save around 90% of the energy consumed by IT systems.

ABB also provides innovative solutions for green transportation, smart motion, that could really improve energy efficiency for many sectors namely industrial sector, which consumes nearly 42% of the world energy. 

 

3. Eng. Ahmed Hassan, can you tell us more about energy efficiency movement?

The #energyefficiencymovement, launched by ABB in 2021, is a forum of around 200 global businesses, ranging from Microsoft, Alfa Laval and DHL Group, who are sharing knowledge and best practice to reduce industrial energy use. We recognize that creating a more energy-efficient world is more important than ever.  It is estimated that by 2050 the global population will have risen to 9.7 billion, up from 7.7 billion in 2019. The global economy is expected to more than double over the same period. Urbanization, automation, and the rise of living standards will significantly increase the demand for energy globally. At the same time, we urgently need to reduce our CO2 emissions to counter climate change. So, the move-ment brings organizations together to collaborate to tackle this serious challenge. Learn more at join.energyefficiencymovement.com.

 

4. Why was it led by ABB Motion business?

The motion business inside ABB includes all electrical motors and variable speed drives which are responsible for movement in all aspects of life nowadays. And if you look at it a little more practically, you can say that around 45% of the electrical energy generated globally is transformed into motion by electrical motors. Thus, it is widespread. And as is customary with us, we assist clients who have installed motors and drives by working with them during the whole lifecycle. You would also need certain services on this kind of equipment, just like you may take your automobile to the dealership once a year or maybe you must have a particular mileage.

 

5. What’s ABB targets to become more energy efficient in their own operations?

ABB made its commitment to become carbon neutral in all its operations by 2030 and happy to see the progress we're making already that we have reduced the energy, the emissions with 39% already based on the 2019 baseline. And we are ahead of our 2030 plan and commitment and that’s because it is driven down now for each division and each site so there is clear ownership to the target.