Sustainable drive with energy efficiency- An evaluation of buildings and industries

Abstract

Today we witness rising concerns about GHG emissions and climate change mitigation. Energy production and conversion cycles are observed to be the main sources of emissions, developing from the inefficient processes and unavoidable losses. With a share of 40% each of the total energy end use and 39% & 41% respectively of the total electricity end use (IEA 2015), buildings and industry sector are the main consumers of energy in India. . The high dependency on coal based power generation to meet the electricity demand made the situation more vulnerable. Any methodology to trim the energy consumption can contribute to the global climate mitigation goals. Among the different mitigation technologies present today, energy efficiency has arisen as a multi-benefit-cost-effective option. Energy efficiency measures can be implemented in a process, be it building or industry, only after a detail examination of its energy consumption pattern. Energy audits are a powerful tool for energy efficiency, uncovering operational and equipment improvements that will save energy, reduce energy costs, and lead to higher performance. Whether looking for simple retrofits or a long-term investment project, an energy audit is the first step toward reducing energy use and improving the performance of facilities. More complex energy audits provide a comprehensive energy efficiency capital investment plan in line with the financial goals. This type of rigorous energy audit is typically part of a larger energy management program. This project is an attempt to identify the major consumers of energy in a process- building and industry, to identify the energy saving opportunities with the help of detailed energy audit at the facilities. The key performance indicators coupled with different processes will be identified and compared to understand the behavior of general saving opportunities. Each energy conservation measure will be evaluated for their economic feasibility to value the degree of acceptability.