Research

11 pages, 428 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Efficiency of China’s Iron and Steel Industry from the Perspective of Technology Heterogeneity

by Xiaoling Wang, Feng He, Linfeng Zhang and Lili Chen

Energies 2018, 11(5), 1247; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11051247 - 14 May 2018

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3523

This paper investigates energy efficiency with the presence of undeniable outputs, efficiency gaps across regions, and determinants of inefficiency of the Chinese Iron and Steel (IS) industry by combining hybrid measure technology and the meta-frontier approach. Empirical results obtained from analyses based on [...] Read more.

This paper investigates energy efficiency with the presence of undeniable outputs, efficiency gaps across regions, and determinants of inefficiency of the Chinese Iron and Steel (IS) industry by combining hybrid measure technology and the meta-frontier approach. Empirical results obtained from analyses based on panel data spanning 2010–2015 reveal the necessity of green transition of the IS industry. Simultaneously addressing power supply, environmental impacts, and value creation of energy is still one of the most formidable challenges facing the IS industry nowadays. Moreover, distinct spatial heterogeneity in technology exists extensively across the regions. Energy efficiency of the IS industry in the eastern region performed the best, whereas the central and western areas fell behind due to the intension of managerial failure and expansion of the technology gap. Based on the findings, general and regional-specific policy implications and suggestions are posited. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Energy Efficiency 2018)

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15 pages, 3233 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards Improved Energy and Resource Management in Manufacturing

by Sanober Hassan Khattak, Michael Oates and Rick Greenough

Energies 2018, 11(4), 1006; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11041006 - 20 Apr 2018

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 6027

Abstract

Exergy analysis has widely been used to assess resource consumption, and to identify opportunities for improvement within manufacturing. The main advantages of this method are its ability to account for energy quality and consumption. However, its application in industrial practice is limited, which [...] Read more.

Exergy analysis has widely been used to assess resource consumption, and to identify opportunities for improvement within manufacturing. The main advantages of this method are its ability to account for energy quality and consumption. However, its application in industrial practice is limited, which may be due to the lack of its consistent application in practice. Current energy management standard, that facilitate consistent application of procedures do not consider the quality aspects of energy flows. An exergy based energy management standards is proposed in this paper that would take into account energy quality aspects, while facilitating the consistent application of exergy analysis in industrial practice. Building on ISO50001, this paper presents guidelines for implementing energy and resource management in factories, incorporating the concepts of exergy and holistic factory simulation, as illustrated through a manufacturing case study. From the factory level analysis, a chilling process was identified to have significant improvement potential. A dry fan cooler, using ambient air was proposed for the improved efficiency of the chillers. Energy based metrics portrayed a system that operated at high efficiency, however exergy analysis indicated much room for further improvement, therefore impacting decision making for technology selection. The contribution of this paper is in presenting a set of prescriptive guidelines that could possibly be further developed into a new energy management standard that would utilize the advantages of exergy analysis towards improved energy and resource management in manufacturing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Energy Efficiency 2018)

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24 pages, 20637 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification and Evaluation of Cases for Excess Heat Utilisation Using GIS

by Fabian Bühler, Stefan Petrović, Torben Ommen, Fridolin Müller Holm, Henrik Pieper and Brian Elmegaard

Energies 2018, 11(4), 762; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11040762 - 27 Mar 2018

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5486

Abstract

Excess heat is present in many sectors, and its utilization could reduce the primary energy use and emission of greenhouse gases. This work presents a geographical mapping of excess heat, in which excess heat from the industry and utility sector was distributed to [...] Read more.

Excess heat is present in many sectors, and its utilization could reduce the primary energy use and emission of greenhouse gases. This work presents a geographical mapping of excess heat, in which excess heat from the industry and utility sector was distributed to specific geographical locations in Denmark. Based on this mapping, a systematic approach for identifying cases for the utilization of excess heat is proposed, considering the production of district heat and process heat, as well as power generation. The technical and economic feasibility of this approach was evaluated for six cases. Special focus was placed on the challenges for the connection of excess heat sources to heat users. To account for uncertainties in the model input, different methods were applied to determine the uncertainty of the results and the most important model parameters. The results show how the spatial mapping of excess heat sources can be used to identify their utilization potentials. The identified case studies show that it can be economically feasible to connect the heat sources to the public energy network or to use the heat to generate electricity. The uncertainty analysis suggests that the results are indicative and are particularly useful for a fast evaluation, comparison and prioritization of possible matches. The excess heat temperature and obtainable energy price were identified as the most important input parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Energy Efficiency 2018)

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1509 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On Hybrid Energy Utilization in Wireless Sensor Networks

by Mohammad Tala’t, Chih-Min Yu, Meng-Lin Ku and Kai-Ten Feng

Energies 2017, 10(12), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10121940 - 23 Nov 2017

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3527

Abstract

In a wireless sensor network (WSN), many applications have limited energy resources for data transmission. In order to accomplish a better green communication for WSN, a hybrid energy scheme can supply a more reliable energy source. In this article, hybrid energy utilization—which consists [...] Read more.

In a wireless sensor network (WSN), many applications have limited energy resources for data transmission. In order to accomplish a better green communication for WSN, a hybrid energy scheme can supply a more reliable energy source. In this article, hybrid energy utilization—which consists of constant energy source and solar harvested energy—is considered for WSN. To minimize constant energy usage from the hybrid source, a Markov decision process (MDP) is designed to find the optimal transmission policy. With a finite packet buffer and a finite battery size, an MDP model is presented to define the states, actions, state transition probabilities, and the cost function including the cost values for all actions. A weighted sum of constant energy source consumption and a packet dropping probability (PDP) are adopted as the cost value, enabling us to find the optimal solution for balancing the minimization of the constant energy source utilization and the PDP using a value iteration algorithm. As shown in the simulation results, the performance of optimal solution using MDP achieves a significant improvement compared to solution without its use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Energy Efficiency 2018)

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1796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Integrated Approach for Estimating the Energy Efficiency of Seventeen Countries

by Chia-Nan Wang, Hong-Xuyen Thi Ho and Ming-Hsien Hsueh

Energies 2017, 10(10), 1597; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10101597 - 13 Oct 2017

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4001

Abstract

Increased energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways to achieve climate change mitigation. This study aims to evaluate the energy efficiency of seventeen countries. The evaluation is based on an integrated method that combines the super slack-based (super SBM) model and [...] Read more.

Increased energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways to achieve climate change mitigation. This study aims to evaluate the energy efficiency of seventeen countries. The evaluation is based on an integrated method that combines the super slack-based (super SBM) model and the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) to investigate the energy efficiency of seventeen countries during the period of 2010–2015. The results in this study are that the United States, Columbia, Japan, China, and Saudi Arabia perform the best in energy efficiency, whereas Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, and India perform the worst during the entire sample period. The energy efficiency of these countries arrived mainly from technological improvement. The study provides suggestions for the seventeen countries’ government to control the energy consumption and contribute to environmental protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Energy Efficiency 2018)

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2156 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Energy Footprint of China’s Textile Industry: Perspectives from Decoupling and Decomposition Analysis

by Laili Wang, Yi Li and Wanwen He

Energies 2017, 10(10), 1461; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10101461 - 22 Sep 2017

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 6541

Abstract

Energy is the essential input for operations along the industrial manufacturing chain of textiles. China’s textile industry is facing great pressure on energy consumption reduction. This paper presents an analysis of the energy footprint (EFP) of China’s textile industry from 1991 [...] Read more.

Energy is the essential input for operations along the industrial manufacturing chain of textiles. China’s textile industry is facing great pressure on energy consumption reduction. This paper presents an analysis of the energy footprint (EFP) of China’s textile industry from 1991 to 2015. The relationship between EFP and economic growth in the textile industry was investigated with a decoupling index approach. The logarithmic mean Divisia index approach was applied for decomposition analysis on how changes in key factors influenced the EFP of China’s textile industry. Results showed that the EFP of China’s textile industry increased from 41.1 Mt in 1991 to 99.6 Mt in 2015. EFP increased fastest in the period of 1996–2007, with an average annual increasing rate of 7.7 percent, especially from 2001 to 2007 (8.5 percent). Manufacture of textile sector consumed most (from 58 percent to 76 percent) of the energy among the three sub-sectors, as it has lots of energy-intensive procedures. EFP and economic growth were in a relative decoupling state for most years of the researched period. Their relationship showed a clear tendency toward decoupling. Industrial scale was the most important factor that led to the increase of EFP, while decreasing energy intensity contributed significantly to reducing the EFP. The promoting effect of the factors was larger than the inhibiting effect on EFP in most years from 1991 to 2015. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Energy Efficiency 2018)

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Review

Jump to: Research, Other

30 pages, 2967 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Closing the Energy Efficiency Gap—A Systematic Review of Empirical Articles on Drivers to Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Firms

by Mette Talseth Solnørdal and Lene Foss

Energies 2018, 11(3), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11030518 - 28 Feb 2018

Cited by 64 | Viewed by 8008

Abstract

Research has identified an extensive potential for energy efficiency within the manufacturing sector, which is responsible for a substantial share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The purpose of this study is to enhance the knowledge of vital drivers for energy [...] Read more.

Research has identified an extensive potential for energy efficiency within the manufacturing sector, which is responsible for a substantial share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The purpose of this study is to enhance the knowledge of vital drivers for energy efficiency in this sector by providing a critical and systematic review of the empirical literature on drivers to energy efficiency in manufacturing firms at the firm level. The systematic literature review (SLR) is based on peer-reviewed articles published between 1998 and 2016. The findings reveal that organizational and economic drivers are, from the firms’ perspective, the most prominent stimulus for energy efficiency and that they consider policy instruments and market drivers to be less important. Secondly, firm size has a positive effect on the firms’ energy efficiency, while the literature is inconclusive considering sectorial impact. Third, the studies are mainly conducted in the US and Western European countries, despite the fact that future increase in energy demand is expected outside these regions. These findings imply a potential mismatch between energy policy-makers’ and firm mangers’ understanding of which factors are most important for achieving increased energy efficiency in manufacturing firms. Energy policies should target the stimulation of management, competence, and organizational structure in addition to the provision of economic incentives. Further understanding about which and how internal resources, organizational capabilities, and management practices impact energy efficiency in manufacturing firms is needed. Future energy efficiency scholars should advance our theoretical understanding of the relationship between energy efficiency improvements in firms, the related change processes, and the drivers that affect these processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Energy Efficiency 2018)

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Other

Jump to: Research, Review

20 pages, 1727 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Industrial Consumers’ Smart Grid Adoption: Influential Factors and Participation Phases

by Zheng Ma, Alla Asmussen and Bo Nørregaard Jørgensen

Energies 2018, 11(1), 182; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11010182 - 12 Jan 2018

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4938

Abstract

The participation of industrial consumers in smart grid transition is important due to their consumption footprint, heavy energy use and complexity in the implementation of smart energy technologies. Active involvement of industrial consumers in the development of smart grid solutions is important to [...] Read more.

The participation of industrial consumers in smart grid transition is important due to their consumption footprint, heavy energy use and complexity in the implementation of smart energy technologies. Active involvement of industrial consumers in the development of smart grid solutions is important to ensure the energy system transformation. Despite the importance of industrial consumers has been identified, the empirical studies on the smart grid still mainly address residential and commercial consumers. Therefore, based on four case studies with two industrial consumers, one energy consulting company and one electricity retailer, this paper investigates the factors that influence industrial consumers’ acceptance of smart grid solutions, and how the influential factors are relevant to the smart grid adoption phases. Eleven influential factors are identified that impact on four stages for industrial consumers’ adoption of smart grid solutions (inscription, translation, framing, and stabilization stages). The eleven influential factors are: awareness of multiple contexts, shared support, return-of-investment, ease of use, flexibility and dynamic pricing, liberalization and energy tariff structure, customer focus, solution integration, process improvement, service quality, and company’s green image. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Energy Efficiency 2018)

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