Jan C. Vosloo

A performance-centred maintenance strategy for industrial DSM projects

Underperformance of industrial DSM projects is often caused by a lack of proper maintenance practices. This results in wasted electricity cost-savings opportunities and an increased demand for electricity on the national grid. A solution to the problem of underperforming industrial DSM projects is to apply a performance-centered maintenance (PCM) strategy. The various aspects of the PCM strategy are presented in this paper. It is based on the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle for continuous improvement, which also forms part of the ISO 50001 energy management standard. Results show that the application of the PCM strategy could result in a performance increase of up to 70% when applied to underperforming industrial DSM projects. This proves the value of the PCM strategy to maximise and sustain the performance of industrial DSM projects.

Strategies for energy efficiency funding in the absence of industrial Eskom-IDM support

In the absence of industrial Eskom-IDM (Industrial Demand Management) funding, industry is forced to look elsewhere for energy efficiency project funding. This paper outlines various taxes and government incentives for cleaner production and energy efficiency technologies in the South African mining and manufacturing context. The applicability, eligibility and financial benefit for each of the following incentives are investigated: National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC); Clean Development Mechanism (CDM); Section 12I Industrial Policy Projects; Section 12L Tax Incentives; Manufacturing Competitive Enhancement Programme (MCEP); IDC Green Energy Efficiency Fund. The universal objective of these incentives is to stimulate the reduction of Greenhouse Gasses (GHG) by 34% by 2020 and 42% by 2025. This commitment was made by South Africa in the National Climate Change Response White Paper. However, in reality carbon tax, electricity cost inflation and a declining economy are the driving forces for industry to participate in these initiatives. These policies and programmes are promulgated by several different spheres of government and it is therefore important to understand the eligibility criteria when a combination of these programmes is utilised. This quick guide will create awareness and assist energy managers in the procurement of energy efficiency project funding.

Effective multi-level energy reporting in South African industry

Energy management standards received significant attention in recent years for assisting intensive users in improving energy management processes. However, applying such a standard to the Energy Management System of an industrial consumer is most effective if supported by an Energy Information Management System. Energy Information Management Systems are commercially available and have been applied in South African industry. However, one notable shortfall of the majority of these systems is in assisting energy management representatives in developing and implementing effective reports. In this paper, a simplified guideline for the development and implementation of effective energy reporting is discussed. The effectiveness of such reports is reviewed through case studies.

Analysis of energy consumption and cost distribution on a South African cement plant

Cement prices in South Africa were regulated until 1996, whereafter the industry became competitive. New local and international competition increases strain on the oversupplied market. This and rising energy costs drive cement plants to increase focus on cost effective operations. A number of energy management methods exists, but often require large capital investments. This paper investigates the typical energy source distribution of cement plants, and compares it to the energy cost distribution of a South African cement plant by means of a case study. The purpose of this investigation is to determine which energy sources should form part of an energy management system aimed at improved profitability. Previous research was used to determine the most feasible tactic. Advantages of the “plan-do-check-act” (PDCA) approach of ISO 50001 are briefly discussed to introduce it as a suggested basis for the energy management system. From the case study it was found that coal made up 88% of plant energy with electricity only contributing 12%. However, the cost of electricity is about 4.83 times higher than that of coal and thus results in electrical energy contributing 39% to the total energy cost. This motivates that the management of electrical energy is a critical component for energy management on a cement plant, even though it only contributes to 12% of the energy consumption.

Analysing electricity cost saving opportunities on South African gold processing plants

Costs saving measures are important for South African gold producers due to increasing energy costs and decreasing production volumes. Extensive research has been published on electricity cost saving methods for mining services. These primarily focus on water reticulation, refrigeration, compressed air and rock transportation systems. However, research has been limited on the energy savings potential of gold processing plants, despite the significant amounts of energy that this sector consumes.This paper reports on techniques that were developed to identity, analyse and implement relevant electricity cost saving opportunities on gold processing plants. Electrical load management was identified as an opportunity that can deliver substantial cost savings. However, due to the high value of revenue generated by gold plants it was imperative to ensure that overall production targets were maintained during implementation. The study methodology therefore focussed on production forecasting and the simulation of key process indicators, such as silo levels, material flow rates and densities. Load management case studies on comminution equipment at two gold processing plants showed peak load shifts of 3.6 MW and 0.6 MW respectively for a period of three months. This resulted in specific electricity cost reductions of 3% and 7% for the two respective case studies. These results show that downstream processing plants should not be overlooked when scoping for electricity cost saving opportunities in the mining sector.

A generic approach to integrating energy related data

The energy management processes of mines and industrial plants differ because of the specialised processes used for mining or production. Therefore, energy management systems typically provide users with specialised tools and reports to facilitate the ongoing energy management process. However, an energy management system that does not consider energy related data does not provide a comprehensive cross-industry solution. A system that is capable of comparing energy data with related data such as production, budget and cost data presents further opportunities for comprehensive energy management. The logistics of data retrieval and management from a wide variety of data sources is, however, problematic because of diverse data formats and modes of access. These data sources range from databases to document based reports and accounts. Energy personnel on different authority levels require access to different data to fulfil their specific role in the energy management process. Furthermore, individual energy personnel have their own preferences regarding the type and graphical representation of data. Therefore, this paper presents a generic approach to integrating data required for comprehensive energy management. The results obtained from practical implementations also proved the approachs adherence to the requirements of different industries. These initial implementations only included electrical energy and related data, while future implementations will include data for other energy sources.

Automated electricity bill analysis in South Africa

The ever-increasing cost of energy puts industries under pressure. Industries are forced to monitor their energy consumption and to manage energy more efficiently and responsibly. Some industrial companies have multiple operations spread out over a wide area, making it logistically difficult to get a holistic view of the company’s energy performance. Valuable information is freely available in the form of electricity bills. However, to benefit from the information in the bills, the data should be extracted and analysed, which is a time-consuming process. In this paper, a need for an automated centralised system that extracts and analyses electricity data from bills was identified. The methodology for extracting, organising, and presenting the electricity bill information is explained in detail. The system is implemented for a gold mining company, and the results are interpreted and discussed. It was found that the system is beneficial for companies with many operations. As the number of operations increases, the value of automated bill analysis increases.

EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY OF THE 12L TAX INCENTIVE FOR ENERGY-INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES

Section 12L of the South African Income Tax Act (12L) aims to incentivise businesses to become more energy-efficient. However, claiming this benefit is a complex process that can become difficult, time-consuming, and costly if not clearly understood. It is therefore important to evaluate the feasibility of potential 12L applications before any unnecessary expenses are incurred or time is wasted. This article provides a brief overview of 12L and its associated literature before presenting a simplified feasibility evaluation strategy. The strategy consists of three key evaluation steps designed to identify potential issues quickly. The identified issues are linked to specific South African National Standards (SANS) guidelines to ensure that the issues can be resolved in a 12L-compliant manner. The strategy is applied to 47 industrial case studies. Some detailed results are presented to give a practical illustration of how the strategy works. The generalised results are further used to illustrate the potential benefit in time and cost reduction.

The benefits of energy efficiency programs - comparing Germany with South Africa

Over the past two decades the world has become much more conscious of the disadvantages of rampant energy use. To this end many countries have adopted strategies and policies meant to reduce their energy usage and consequently reduce their global energy footprint. The German government is often praised for its stance on reducing energy usage. Therefore, this paper will explore the energy efficiency strategy implemented by the German government. The paper will also explore the current energy efficiency strategies implemented by the South African government and industry as well as the results thereof. This should allow for a comparison of whether the current South African policies compare favourably to that of a first world country that is serious about energy efficiency. From this comparison it is obvious that the South African energy efficiency policy strategy compares favourably.

Improving DSM project implementation and sustainability through ISO standards

Energy service companies (ESCos) have been assisting Eskom, South Africas leading electricity utility, in implementing and managing energy projects around the country. However, the need for a sustainable energy management system (EnMS) within the Demand Side Management (DSM) projects does exist. An EnMS was designed to achieve the maximum possible energy savings performance on these projects. Three relevant International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards were integrated into the development and implementation of this system. It provides a framework for project engineers and industrial clients to apply before, during and after project implementation. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle was applied throughout this article and follows the basic steps recommended by the relevant ISO standards. This cycle emphasises the concept of continual improvement. This article illustrates that the continual improvement of an ISO based EnMS will result in a sustainable increase in electricity savings. An overall increase in project quality can thus be defined and measured according to the electricity consumptions and electricity cost savings. The proposed EnMS was thus implemented and studied on five mines. The electricity cost savings from the selected projects resulted to nearly Rl8-million during project implementation. The EnMS therefore indicates that a continually controlled framework can improve the quality of DSM project implementation and sustainability. With the flexibility of changing the system according to impulsive constraints and client demands, the system can be used with various DSM projects.