SMART POWER
Energy efficiency is a core component of industry. However, the advent
of industry 4.0, its resultant technological advancements, automated
processes, rising energy costs and sustainability pressures, mean energy
management is more crucial than ever.
Manufacturers are often
at the forefront of
technological advances
in order to maintain a
competitive edge in fast-paced
industries. Driven by the ‘fourth
industrial revolution’, there has been a
fundamental shift in the scale, scope,
and complexity of the manufacturing
processes of many organisations.
Whilst this brings obvious benefits
in terms of operational efficiencies
and output, it also introduces various
additional challenges, particularly
when it comes to managing energy
and related costs.
Dr Alex Mardapittas, CEO of
Powerstar, a smart energy solutions
provider, says: “The heightened use
of technology influenced by the next
phase of digitalisation has resulted in
higher costs for many manufacturers,
especially as energy prices continue
to rise to reflect the cost of operating
the grid.”
According to Dr Mardapittas,
energy prices have increased more
than 60% from 2014 to 2019 and are
forecast to increase by up to 50% from
2016 levels by 2020. Therefore, it is
a challenge that is likely to remain
prominent for high-consuming
industries, such as manufacturing, as
it poses a threat to profit margins.
The UK’s commitment to achieve
net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,
and the subsequent pressures
on businesses to operate more
sustainably, means organisations
face even greater expectations to
lessen their environmental impact
through energy efficiencies both from
Government and consumers.
Such complex challenges when it
comes to energy and sustainability
have driven organisations to
seek smart energy technologies
that deliver improvements to
efficiency and reductions to
energy consumption and costs,
such as voltage optimisation (VO),
energy storage, and distribution
transformers.
A SMARTER FUTURE
The positive news for organisations,
however, is that the increasing
digitalisation of manufacturing
has also enabled opportunities to
make significant improvements to
operations and energy management
through connected energy-saving
technologies.
“Through the evolution of
automation, connectivity of assets,
real-time data collection and
machine learning, businesses are
better equipped to benefit from
fully connected assets as part of
a comprehensive smart energy
solution,” says Dr Mardapittas.
“By integrating proven smart
energy solutions, such as VO, energy
storage and smart distribution
transformers, into their site and
supporting them with online remote
monitoring capabilities facilitated
by Industry 4.0, manufacturers can
benefit from actionable insights
available through analysis of the data
made available and easily accessible
across a variety of technologies.”
He adds: “This includes the ability
to view asset performance and
operation, as well as tracking savings
and identifying possible areas for
further optimisation in the future,
26 WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK | MAY 2020
/WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK