Energetically Making Industry More Efficient

Energy efficiency is good for the economy! It is a policy pursued aggressively, with the White House announcing a goal of increasing industrial energy efficiency by 50% by 2020, partly by addressing the heat wasted in power generation. Energy efficiency is also the focus of the upcoming Build Eco Xpo, to be held in Singapore from 11^th to 13^th of September. Products and services aimed at increasing building efficiency will be the highlight of the expo, with new offerings from around Asia. Read more

By Tracy Schario for Pew Charitable Trust (23 July 2013):

Most power plants operate at efficiency levels of just 33 percent to 45 percent. That means as much as two-thirds of the fuel used to produce electricity is released into the atmosphere and wasted.

But, we can turn wasted heat into additional power through proven energy efficiency technologies, such as combined heat and power, waste-heat recovery and district heat, which could achieve energy efficiencies of 75 percent or greater. In the United States, more than 3,700 power plants, manufacturers, hospitals, and other facilities generate 82 gigawatts of electricity annually—about 12 percent of total U.S. production—using these efficient technologies. But we can do more.

According to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, doubling the amount power produced with these industrial energy efficiency in the country to 164 GW would create as many as one million highly skilled jobs in this country. A study by the Industrial Energy Consumers of America found it also would generate more than $200 billion in investment over 10 years. Improving industrial efficiency would help make U.S. manufacturers more competitive in the global marketplace by lowering energy costs and ensuring that our electrical grid is more resilient in the face of extreme weather events.

To get there, we need national policy and the right incentives. Last August, the White House announced a goal of increasing industrial efficiency 50 percent by 2020. This is an excellent first step, but Congress must act as well.

If lawmakers improve tax incentives for private investment in industrial energy efficiency projects, we could increase the national generating capacity to 164 GW—double the current capacity—and reap the rewards of new jobs and investment, reduced energy costs, less pollution, and greater resiliency. –

Increasing our industrial energy efficiency could spur more than $200 billion in new private investment in the United States and create up to one million jobs, according to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Manufacturing and power generation creates large amounts of heat, which typically escapes through smokestacks into the air. With currently available, proven technologies we can capture this energy and use it to heat additional buildings or generate more electricity cheaply and reliably. Simply put, improving industrial efficiency means we can get more power from the same amount of natural gas, coal, and other fuel sources.

The country’s first power plant—Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street Station built in 1882 in New York—took advantage of the useful heat generated when making electricity both to produce additional electricity and warm neighboring buildings. Edison’s same technology can be used nearly everywhere—in large and small industrial factories, hospitals and college campuses, commercial buildings, apartment buildings, and single-family homes.

This readily available technology is already at work in every state. Altogether, utilizing harnessed heat contributes 85 gigawatts of electricity capacity annually, or almost 9 percent of the nation’s electricity. We could double that amount. Greater energy efficiency for the industrial and manufacturing sector will:

Create new American jobs. Oak Ridge National Laboratory estimates up to one million, highly skilled jobs could be created.

Save money making American companies more efficient and competitive.

Industrial manufacturers across the country are also generating electricity with no incremental emissions like the ArcelorMittal Steel Plant in East Chicago where 75MW of emission free electricity is being generated from the byproduct heat of an onsite blast furnace. New technology advancements are making it possible for industrial manufacturers to capture low temperate heat for onsite electricity generated with no additional emissions as well. Iron, steel, paper, chemical, oil and gas processing, cement and other manufacturers are key to our nation’s pursuit of clean energy and energy independence.

Increasing America’s industrial energy efficiency can produce more power from natural gas, coal, landfill gas, and biomass with less waste. There are benefits for the consumer, businesses, and the environment. It also means reducing the pressure on our commercial electricity grid making it more reliable. Getting more energy from the same amount of fuel also helps communities avoid the need to build new power plants at an additional cost to ratepayers.

Source: www.pewenvironment.org

Southeast Asia gears up in Green City Drive:

Green lighting solutions will be in focus of the BEX Asia Energy Efficiency Trail.

BEX Asia 2013 will be held in conjunction with the inaugural edition of World Engineering Summit (WES) 2013 and also the International Green Building Conferences (IGBC) 2013, making it a truly holistic and an all-encompassing green show.

With new partnerships and greater content, BEX Asia 2013 is set to lend strong support to Asia’s green agenda

As part of the plan for sustainable development for Singapore’s built environment, Singapore rolled out its second Green Building Masterplan in 2009, with focus to green the large stock of existing buildings by 2030. Also, just early this year, Singapore launched the Sustainable Blueprint under the Sustainable Singapore drive which aims to make the city a lively and livable one. This blueprint consists of strategies and initiatives needed for Singapore to head in this direction and beckons individuals, companies and the government to all play their part.

Singapore is certainly not alone in her efforts and is joined by other nations in the region. Thailand has its “Low Carbon City” initiative which aims to help achieve reductions in GHG emissions and catalyse this shift to a low carbon society. The Philippines too has its green initiative that will serve to enhance the quality of life for citizens.

As the region forges ahead with its green agenda, Singapore in particular, has also repeatedly highlighted the importance of Public Private Partnership (PPP) for its green-city drive to gain greater momentum. A city can only be considered truly green if infrastructure in the form of residential, industrial and commercial all consciously incorporates green elements into design and functionality.

“Since 2009, BEX Asia has taken the lead to drive the industry green movement by providing a platform for regional interaction,” said Ms Louise Chua, Project Director of Reed Exhibitions which organises BEX Asia.

She also added that, “Through the provision of this platform to facilitate the exchange of technologies and ideas, we hope to be able to help propel the industry to its next stage and encourage companies to take a more integrated approach in terms of adopting green technologies and methods.”

BEX Asia 2013 – Greater emphasis on energy efficiency solutions

As a key green show in the region that promises a multi-disciplinary showcase of the latest green solutions for residential and commercial developments, it is imperative that BEX Asia to be always ahead and aware of the latest market trends. Noting an increase in demand for energy efficiency solutions, BEX Asia 2013 will see a brand new Energy Efficiency Trail that aims to offer a comprehensive range of green solutions from green system software to Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems.

In particular, green lighting solutions will be in focus on this Energy Efficiency Trail.

“When it comes to solutions on energy efficiency, the potential savings from lighting has not been fully exploited,” says Mr Tiew Chew Meng, President of the Lighting Association Singapore (LAS), which is collaborating with BEX Asia 2013.

“Lighting forms approximately 20 per cent of total energy consumption of typical office and residential buildings. Now more than ever, people are aware that with a little more attention to lighting, energy consumption for lighting can be reduced by as much as 50 per cent. While demand for green lighting solutions is picking up, advances in lighting technologies and efficiencies in recent years also mean there is still a lot to be done to encourage quicker adoption of energy-saving lighting. It is very heartening to see that BEX Asia 2013 has taken note of this,” he added.

Green lighting firms who will be participating in BEX Asia 2013 includes Asto Systems, Dr. LED and EP Lite, amongst others.

BEX Asia 2013 – New participation and collaborations

On top of the greater focus on its energy efficiency content offered this year, BEX Asia 2013 will also cover more green issues and see new country participation; Japan, will be coming in as a country pavilion for the very first time.

Japan has always been a strong advocate of the green movement through the use of state-of-the-art technology. Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), a government affiliated organisation, works not only to help Japanese SMEs promote regional collaborations and maximise business potentials, but also to push forward the regional green agenda leveraging on an excellent platform like BEX Asia.

JETRO will be leading more than 15 Japanese companies and delegates to BEX Asia 2013.

While BEX Asia 2013 offers green solutions for residential and commercial properties, the WES focuses on larger issues like infrastructure, industrial developments and climate change. Together, they complement each other to provide a comprehensive platform of thought leadership and practical architectural, design and engineering solutions for the industry in the region.

To be held between 11 and 13 September 2013 at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, BEX Asia 2013 will see more than 300 international exhibitors come together showcasing the largest range of green products in South East Asia.

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organizer, with over 500 events in 41 countries. In 2012 Reed brought together seven million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organized by 34 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 44 industry sectors with trade and consumer events and is part of the Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world-leading publisher and information provider. www.reedexpo.com

About BEX Asia

BEX Asia is Southeast Asia’s premier business platform for the green building and construction industry. It is a one-stop sourcing destination for cutting-edge products, innovative technologies and sustainable designs in building materials, energy efficiency systems, fittings and fixtures, and much more. It is an event that enhances your competitive edge in the world of Build Green. BEX Asia brings together skilled professionals, key industry practitioners, major specifiers and buyers from the region to build networks and create business opportunities, in support of the global trend to build greener communities for a greener future.

Source: www.bex-asia.com