Natural Resources - Saving Energy
Hidden Treasures
Energy consumption in the industrialized world could be cut in half. Unfortunately, consumers are often unaware of how easy it is to reduce their energy use, which is why experts from Siemens are willing to help them discover the hidden potential for savings.
Systematically saving energy: Siemens engineers help customers identify weak points and solve the associated problems. In many instances, this can lead to a 20 to 40 % reduction in annual energy costs. Whats more, the investment is recouped through the savings themselves
Berlins 77 indoor and outdoor publicswimming pools attract millions of visitors each year. The facilities spend huge amounts of money on air and water heating and lighting. With 11 of the larger pools alone spending 4.87 mill. per year on energy, the city was obviously interested in cutting costs. With this in mind, experts from Siemens Building Technologies (SBT) systematically examined the pools infrastructures. They replaced several old boilers, converted the energy system from oil to gas, and installed more efficient equipment for heat recovery and water heating. The team also updated the pools building automation technology, renovated their lighting systems, and built modern facilities for recycling muddy water and producing ozone. Today, the results are clear. Berlins public swimming pools now spend 1.63 mill. less per yearor one third of their previous total energy costs. Of this amount, 330,000 is being kept by the city; the rest is being used to pay off the investment.
Energy-saving strategies are by no means limited to swimming pools. Today, 30 years after the first oil crisiswhich in one fell swoop demonstrated to the industrialized countries the importance of conserving finite energy resourcesthere is still huge potential for drastically reducing consumption of coal, oil and gas in households, offices, industry and transport. Most of the requisite technologies already exist and have been tested. However, consumers are often insufficiently informed as to the amount of energy they could save by utilizing more efficient processes. They are also unaware of how low the associated investment costs often actually are.
1,300 capacitors, each with a capacity of 2,400 F, harness and store a commuter trains braking energy
Internationally renowned energy researcher Amory B. Lovins offered a very optimistic scenario in this regard in November 2003. In spite of a growing population and increasing prosperity, worldwide energy consumption could be reduced to a fraction of its current level by 2050. Conversion from primary to secondary energy can improve efficiency by a factor of 1.5, says Lovins, who is also head of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, Colorado. End consumers could theoretically save three-fourths to five-sixths of the current energy they use.
How to Save 35 %. As critics are quick to point out, Lovins predictions are based on radical conservation measures, some of which would be extremely difficult to implement. However, leading European scientists still come up with impressive figures even when employing more conventional assumptions. "It will be possible to achieve efficiency gains of 25 to 35 % in most industrialized countries over the next 20 years," predicts Professor Eberhard Jochem from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, who conducted a study on energy consumption in Western Europe on behalf of the UN and the World Energy Council.
Adds Professor Peter Hennicke, president of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, "In Germany alone, energy expenditures could be cut by up to 60 bill. per year if state-of-the-art technology were introduced throughout the entire country. That figure corresponds to about half of total current energy expenditures."
Savings in the area of secondary energy have the most sustained impact. If, for example, electricity consumption were to be reduced by one unit, the utilization of primary energy could be decreased by two to three units, depending on the efficiency of the power plant in question. A whole range of electricity-saving devices is already available, and these can be used by both private households and companies to dramatically reduce energy consumption. For example:
- Last year, Siemens lighting subsidiary Osram introduced electronically controlled energy-saving lamps. The lamps require up to 75 % less electricity than comparable conventional light bulbs. This new generation of the Dulux EL Economy Classic lamp is also much lighter and more compact than previous models.
- In another development, Siemens Transportation Systems has come up with an energy storage unit for commuter trains and similar electric local public transit systems. Known as Sitras, the system harnesses a locomotives braking energy and releases it into the power network. Up until now, it was possible to utilize this energy only if another vehicle was accelerating at exactly the same time that the braking action was taking place.
- Meanwhile, the latest generation of energy-saving motors from Siemens Automation and Drives can reduce power loss by up to 45 % compared with conventional electric motors. This is achieved by greater use of active materials such as iron, copper and aluminum, as well as through improved bearings and ventilation, better sheet metal quality and other refinements. German companies spend some 12.5 bill. annually on investment and operating costs for electric drive units. If they used electricity-saving motors exclusively, they could cut their energy costs by about 1.5 bill. per year, according to the German electrical and electronics manufacturers association. Thats equivalent to the output of eight fossil power plant blocks and thus an 11-million-ton decrease in carbon dioxide emissions.
Unfortunately, companies generally tend to consider only the relatively high procurement costs of such investments rather than their energy-saving potential. As such, they fail to realize that the investment is more than paid for through lower operating costs over time. For example, assuming an operating life of ten years at 2,000 hours per year, the procurement costs for an energy-saving motor account for less than 3 % of total costs. On the other hand, more than 95 % of all costs for such a motor are generated by its electricity consumption.
More efficient electric motors could make eight power plants in Germany redundant
Pay as You Save. SBT offers a special service for uncovering the potential for all types of energy savings: "Performance Contracting" for industrial facilities, hospitals, schools and government administration buildings. Working together with the customer, Siemens specialists first check the energy efficiency of all lighting units, electrical devices, machines, heating systems, and water and ventilation systems. In a second step, they determine the measures that can be taken to improve energy utilization, as well as calculating the overall financial impact of such measures. If the partners agree that the potential savings both justify the investment and can pay for it, they sign an energy-saving contract that runs for several years. In addition to the Berlin swimming pools, many other Siemens customers have thus been able to achieve impressive successes. Here are a few examples:
- Pharmaceutical giant Schering has cut energy costs in four buildings in Berlin by 23 %. The savings were achieved through better lighting, new elevators, frequency converters and fans.
- German Rail (DB) has cut energy costs at Dresdens central station by 40 %. Renovation of the heating system and modernization of electrical equipment as well as building management and heat insulation systems cost 880,000 , but lead to annual savings of 246,000 .
- The Wola Hospital in Warsaw, Poland, recouped its investment very quicklywithin seven months in fact. Heat exchangers were optimized in four buildings, two heating stations were replaced and a new external lighting system was installed. The measure required a total investment of only 200,000 . However, the hospital now saves more than 330,000 a year.
- Some 1,000 customers in the U.S. have achieved savings totaling approximately $1.4 billion with help from SBT since 1995. Expert teams from SBTs "Energy Services & Solutions" unit are pioneers in the U.S. when it comes to performance contracting, which includes systematic energy checks as well as energy monitoring, controlling, optimization and auditing. Among the units customers is the University of Texas at El Paso, which is now saving $1.65 million per year in energy costs, thanks to the modernization of its power supply and building management facilities.
Energy-saving contracts actually guarantee savings. Siemens pays the difference if savings targets are not achieved, while the partners split any savings that exceed the contracts target. The customer keeps all savings after the contract period has expired. "Thats a win-win situation for us and the customer," says Hansjörg Sidler, head of Energy Services & Solutions at SBT in Zug, Switzerland. Along with lower energy costs, facility owners also profit from what is often a large increase in property value that results from installing energy-saving equipment. It is therefore clear that conservative use of finite natural resources can have a variety of positive side effects. Its high time for more people to became aware of the possibilities.
Günter Heismann