According to recent studies, the 20% European improvement in energy efficiency will not be achieved with current trends, even with the adoption of present policies to reduce primary energy use. This ...is due to the existence of several barriers that hinder the adoption of the energy-efficient technologies and practices. A relevant contribution to improved energy efficiency could come from the industrial sector, due to its relevance on total energy use. This study therefore addresses barriers within the European foundry industry, a major industrial energy user and a strategic player for the European economy. The research investigates the barriers to energy efficiency at 65 foundries, several of them small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), highlighting the critical problems and difficulties by evaluating the socio-technical frameworks against which the barriers have been categorized. Findings show that the greatest perceived barriers are the perception of the lack of resources to be devoted to improving energy efficiency, and the existence of other priorities such as the importance of guaranteeing business continuity. The study has also performed a preliminary analysis of the factors that might affect the perception of barriers. In particular, looking at size, smaller enterprises show a greater perception of the barriers than larger ones, mainly due to several organizational issues, but with effect on behavioural ones, that tend to downgrade energy efficiency to a peripheral issue. The study has also highlighted differences by type of alloy characterizing foundries, taken as proxy of the process complexity. Indeed, enterprises with simpler production processes tend to perceive higher barriers to energy efficiency, showing the need to identify effective means to promote energy efficiency among those enterprises. Moreover, the analysis has pointed out that performing energy audits brings more awareness to the enterprises, highlighting the effective existing difficulties in improving their energy efficiency. This result seems to be relevant since it shows the need for the research to analyze the awareness to energy efficiency in greater depth and develop the most effective policies to increase it at industrial level. Finally when looking at the country in which foundries operate, German enterprises tend to suffer from the barriers far less than the average, whilst a totally different behaviour can be observed for Swedish ones. These preliminary findings open the research to investigate in greater depth the factors leading to a different perception of barriers, and also the domestic policies that have led to those results. Moreover, the study opens to investigate which means, i.e. drivers, might be more effectively exploited at European level to promote industrial energy efficiency.
► We analyzed barriers to energy efficiency among 65 European foundries. ► Relevance of lack of resources and need for business continuity. ► Effect of size in downgrading energy efficiency as a peripheral issue. ► Energy audits as a means to increase enterprises' awareness.
Although several research studies have adopted specific energy consumption (SEC) as an indicator of the progress of improved energy efficiency, publications are scarce on critical assessments when ...using SEC. Given the increasing importance of monitoring improved industrial energy efficiency and the rising popularity of SEC as an energy key performance indicator (e-KPI), an in-depth analysis and problematization on the pros and cons of using SEC would appear to be needed. The aim of this article is to analyse SEC critically in relation to industrial energy efficiency. By using SEC in the pulp and paper industry as an example, the results of this exploratory study show that although SEC is often used as an e-KPI in industry, the comparison is not always straightforward. Challenges emanate from a lack of information about how SEC is calculated. It is likely that SEC is an optimal e-KPI within the same study, when all deployed SECs are calculated in the same way, and with the same underlying assumptions. However, before comparing SEC with other studies, it is recommended that the assumptions on which calculations are based should be scrutinized in order to ensure the validity of the comparisons. The paper remains an important contribution in addition to the available handbooks.
The potential for energy efficiency improvements in the industry is significant for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but the implementation of energy-efficiency measures is not always ...possible owing to various barriers to energy efficiency. Working with energy management personnel inside companies can help to overcome these barriers. However, this is not a common practice among SMEs. Participation in industrial energy-efficiency networks (IEENs) can be a means of introducing customized energy management practices into SMEs. In such a network, industrial companies get support for a period of three to four years from an external network coordinator to determine energy efficiency potential, implement energy-efficiency measures, and monitor energy performance. The method has been used widely in Switzerland and Germany, while in other countries the experience has not proven successful thus far. To show the effects of networking among industrial companies, it is important to evaluate networks quantitatively and qualitatively. This aspect is missing from the field of energy efficiency research, not least with regard to evaluation methods. Thus, it is crucial to evaluate Swedish IEENs and suggest methods for evaluating IEENs. The aim of this study is to review IEENs with particular emphasis on Swedish IEENs. The results show that in Sweden, a common notion of IEENs has not yet been established, and projects with different characteristics and designs fall under the category of IEEN. The lack of a standard approach to running and evaluating IEENs makes it difficult to evaluate Swedish networks quantitatively.
The pulp and paper industry is one of the five most energy-intensive industries world-wide. In Sweden, most pulp and paper mills were certified with a standardized energy management system already in ...2005. As Swedish mills have more than a decade of experience with energy management systems and energy key performance indicators (KPIs), studying KPIs within Swedish pulp and paper mills will enable both a state-of-the-art positioning of best-practice in relation to energy KPIs in pulp and paper mills, but also spot potential barriers and drivers in the utilization of energy KPIs.
This paper studies the current level of implementation and operationalization of energy-related KPIs in the Swedish pulp and paper industry. The results show a potential for improvement.
•Pulp and paper mills' level of implementation of energy-related KPIs is studied.•25% of the mills apply best practice regarding the establishment of energy KPIs.•Pulp and paper mills can potentially improve their monitoring of energy KPIs.•Lack of resources is a major barrier to implementing relevant energy KPIs.
In the EU, about 12% of the greenhouse gas emissions derive from buildings. To decrease the emissions from buildings, more energy-efficient technologies must be implemented. Drivers for the ...implementation of energy-efficient technologies are important to achieve this. Interviews were conducted with different actors within a city district development project to find drivers for the implementation of energy-efficient technologies in buildings. These drivers were connected to different phases of a building project to see when they have the highest potential impact. Connecting drivers to various phases of the construction process has not been explored before. In conclusion, drivers have the most impact during the Planning Program phase and the Project Planning phase. The most mentioned drivers are Cost reduction from lowered energy use, More knowledge within the building industry both stated by ten of 18 respondents, Long-term perspective at client, and National requirements and client demands both stated by eight of 18 respondents. The most prominent driver seems to be economic gains, and LCC calculations for showing potential economic gains are therefore a very important tool. Education with a subsequent certification on working with energy-efficient technologies and building techniques can be a driver and would also combat the lack of knowledge within the business. In-house knowledge at the client, Long-term perspective at the client, and Client demands are three great drivers. Clients in building projects should therefore aim to have good in-house knowledge, and a long-term perspective to be able to set the right requirements and drive for energy-efficient technologies.
Display omitted
•Most mentioned drivers are Cost reduction and More knowledge.•LCC calculations is an important tool to show economic gains.•Most drivers relate to the Planning Program, and the Project Planning phase.•In-house knowledge and Long-term perspective at the client is important.
Improved industrial energy efficiency is a cornerstone in climate change mitigation. Research results suggest that there is still major untapped potential for improved industrial energy efficiency. ...The major model used to explain the discrepancy between optimal level of energy efficiency and the current level is the barrier model, e.g., different barriers to energy efficiency inhibit adoption of cost-effective measures. The measures outlined in research and policy action plans are almost exclusively technology-oriented, but great potential for energy efficiency improvements is also found in operational measures. Both technology and operational measures are combined in successful energy management practices. Most research in the field of energy management is grounded in engineering science, and theoretical models on how energy management in industry is carried out are scarce. One way to further develop and improve energy management, both theoretically as well as practically, is to explore how a socio-technical perspective can contribute to this understanding. In this article we will further elaborate this potential of cross-pollinating these fields. The aim of this paper is to relate energy management to two theoretical models, situated action and transaction analysis. We conclude that the current model for energy management systems, the input-output model, is insufficient for understanding in-house industrial energy management practices. By the incorporation of situated action and transaction analysis to the currently used input-output model, an enhanced understanding of the complexity of energy management is gained. It is not possible to find a single energy management solution suitable for any industrial company, but rather the idea is to find a reflexive model that can be adjusted from time to time. An idea for such a reflexive model would contain the structural elements from energy management models with consideration for decisions being situated and impossible to predict.
Electric drones as an autonomous mode of transport are scaling up to transform last-mile goods delivery, raising an urgent need for assessing impacts of drone transport from a systems perspective. In ...this paper, we conduct systems analyses to assess the environmental, economic, and delivery time impact of large drones for delivery scenarios to pick-up centers between mid-size cities predominantly in rural areas, and deliveries within city limits compared with electric and diesel trucks. Results show that large drones have lower emissions than diesel trucks for deliveries in rural areas and that drones don't compete with electric trucks, mainly due to the high energy demand required for take-off and landing for each delivery. Furthermore, we show that electric drones are an economically more cost-effective option than road-bound transport modes such as diesel and electric trucks due to the high degree of automation, and also provide the fastest delivery times. Our analysis provides unique insights that drones can address rapid electrification and emergency applications due to low costs, high flexibility, and fast operations. However, for regulators and practitioners to realize it as an emission-friendly option it is necessary to determine the optimal size of drones, particularly for use cases in urban areas, avoid very low landings for deliveries, and have home deliveries instead of pick-up points.
About 12% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions derive from construction of and energy use in buildings. To decrease energy use in buildings, more energy-efficient technologies must be implemented. ...However, there are barriers to the implementation of energy-efficient technologies. In this study, interviews were conducted with different stakeholders within a city district development project to find barriers towards the implementation of energy-efficient technologies in buildings. First, an investigation of barrier theory followed by three pre-interviews was conducted, which helped in forming questions for the interview study, which involved a total of 18 respondents. The respondents were from the client, facility manager, developer, consultants, project planners, contractor, and the local energy supplier. The barriers mentioned in the interviews were connected to different phases of a building project. There is a scarcity of studies where barriers in various phases of the construction process are explored. In conclusion, the most frequently mentioned barriers were connected to the Planning Program phase and the Project Planning phase. Two new barrier categories are suggested: Lack of Knowledge and Fear. The most prominent barriers to implementation of energy-efficient technologies were Inertia, Risk, Access to Capital and Lack of Knowledge. To increase the implementation of energy-efficient technologies in buildings, knowledge needs to be increased throughout the whole industry, and stakeholders need to step out of their comfort zone and not always do as they have done before. A key policy implication is the importance of capacity building in the early phases of the building process.
Display omitted
•Two new barrier categories suggested: Lack of Knowledge, and Fear.•Barriers can be connected to various phases of a building process.•Most barriers relate to the Planning Program, and the Project Planning phase.•Major barriers found: Lack of knowledge, Inertia, Risk, and Access to capital.•Split incentives should be called Multiple split incentives in some cases.
Despite the need for increased industrial energy efficiency, studies indicate that cost-effective energy efficiency measures are not always implemented, which is explained by the existence of ...barriers to energy efficiency. This paper investigates whether this holds for the Swedish pulp and paper industry, and if so, investigates the barriers inhibiting and the driving forces stressing cost-effective energy efficiency investments. By so, this case study covers about 2% of the EU-25 industrial end-use of energy. The overall results from a questionnaire show that there is an energy efficiency gap in the sector and that the largest barriers were technical risks such as risk of production disruptions, cost of production disruption/hassle/inconvenience, technology inappropriate at the mill, lack of time and other priorities, lack of access to capital, and slim organization. As regards the driving forces for energy efficiency, the highest ranked driving forces were cost reductions resulting from lower energy use, people with real ambition, long-term energy strategy, the threat of rising energy prices, the electricity certificate system, the PFE. The results show that many of the barriers and driving forces were not solely market-related, e.g., lack of time or other priorities, slim organization, other priorities for capital investments, lack of staff awareness, and long decision chains indicate that firm-specific barriers plays an important role. These barriers may not be overcome by market-related public policy instruments but is rather a consequence of how the energy issue is organized within the firms. The second and the third largest driving forces, people with real ambition and a long-term energy strategy further support this.
PDF
