Energy Systems Industry Profile
Industrial energy systems use over 17 quads of energy each year. |
Energy systems are equipment, technology and systems that produce, convert, transport, manage, and recover or reuse energy (fuel, electricity, steam, heat, by-products) needed for industrial processes/unit operations. Industrial energy systems used in U.S. manufacturing and mining account for over 17 quads of energy annually, including onsite losses. This roughly translates into 70 billion dollars in fuel and electricity consumption each year. Energy systems are essential to manufacturing, from mining and primary metals to downstream product finishing.
Importance of Energy Systems to Energy Intensive Industries
ITP's Industries of the Future (IOF) are among the largest users of energy systems, accounting for about 80 percent of industrial energy use. The forest products industry is the largest user of steam and combined heat and power systems. The petroleum refining industry is the largest user of fired heater systems. Similarly, the chemicals industry is the largest user of machine drive systems (motors). These three industries are also the top users of primary energy, but other less-energy intensive industries are large energy systems users as well. For example, although iron and steel products manufacturing is less energy intensive than these three industries, it is the third largest user of fired heaters. Similarly, motors account for almost 25 percent of the mining industry's total energy use.
Substantial Bottom-Line Savings
There are substantial energy losses associated with industrial energy systems resulting from inherent equipment inefficiencies, age and other factors. Over 33% of the energy that goes into energy systems is lost during generation of steam and power, distribution, and conversion of energy into useful work. The total losses in energy systems are over 5.7 quads, which represents an energy cost of more than 22 billion dollars per year. Energy conversion accounts for the bulk of these losses (55 percent), followed by distribution (23 percent), and steam and power generation (22 percent).
There are significant opportunities to reduce losses in energy systems. Savings can be achieved through more efficient technologies and best practices, as well as new innovative technology. ITP's Industrial Energy System's Subprogram promotes the development of more productive, energy efficient energy systems with improved environmental performance. ITP also provides technical resources to identify the best opportunities for energy systems. Read more...