A methodology to systematically identify and characterize energy flexibility measures in industrial systems

Abstract

Industrial energy flexibility enables companies to optimize their energy-associated production costs and support the energy transition towards renewable energy sources. The first step towards achieving energy flexible operation in a production facility is to identify and characterize the energy flexibility measures available in the industrial systems that comprise it. These industrial systems are both the manufacturing systems that directly execute the production tasks and the systems performing supporting tasks or tasks necessary for the operation of these manufacturing systems. Energy flexibility measures are conscious and quantifiable actions to carry out a defined change of operative state in an industrial system. This work proposes a methodology to identify and characterize the available energy flexibility measures in industrial systems regardless of the task they perform in the facility. This methodology is the basis of energy flexibility-oriented industrial energy audits, in juxtaposition with the current industrial energy audits that focus on energy efficiency. This audit will provide industrial enterprises with a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the capabilities of their industrial systems, and hence their production facilities, for energy flexible operation. The audit results facilitate a company’s decision making towards the implementation, evaluation and management of these capabilities.