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At ARC Advisory Group’s 22nd India Forum (July 10-11, 2024), titled Accelerate Transformation in the Age of AI, Open Automation, and Sustainability, ABB participated as a Silver Sponsor. Mangesh Nawarange, Sales Director – Digital for Energy Industries, Process Automation, from ABB India, discussed the role of digital technologies in accelerating the energy transition, emphasizing the integration of technology and energy transition to build a sustainable future. He highlighted ABB's experiences and solutions in improving energy efficiency and integrating renewable energy sources. This blog summarizes the key points of Mangesh’s presentation. The entire presentation can be watched here.
Understanding Energy Transition
There are two transitions distinctly happening in the industry: technology transition and energy transition. These two transitions must complement each other, because technology is required for the energy transition. “And energy transition paves the way to build a healthy and sustainable future,” said Mangesh. This was explained via a brief video. For millennia, the carbon cycle on Earth has been in balance. But with the rise of modern society, emissions increased beyond what the planet could absorb. Today, industries are working on reducing their emissions, while supporting the ever-growing world by enhancing energy efficiency and adding more renewable energy into the mix.
Energy Transition Priorities
ABB’s customers include a marquee list of end users from the power, oil and gas, utilities, metal, cement and other industries. There is a return on investment on the energy transition journey and the achievements are incremental. So when ABB is asked to chart the roadmap and suggest short and long term goals, the following steps are recommended:
A report from the IEA (International Energy Agency) states that there are three distinct ways the energy transition can be achieved rapidly - 2X efficiency improvement, 3X renewable additions, and 50 percent plus electrification. This aligns well with the roadmap.
Energy Efficiency
The power generation industry is responsible for almost half of the global carbon emissions annually; and the remaining half is from the gas firing. India has close to 500 captive power plants and ABB works closely with them. In this context, Mangesh spoke about ABB’s solution OPTIMAX that has been successfully deployed to improve energy efficiency and operational stability.
OPTIMAX
OPTIMAX is a platform designed to manage energy resources efficiently. It supports various types of energy, including electricity, steam, fuel, and gas. It supports the management of distributed energy resources (DER) by connecting various energy resources, including generation and consumption resources, to optimize energy usage. The platform allows users to connect with energy exchanges, forecasting agencies, and technical units, creating a collaborative environment for both consumers and producers. It offers several features, including predictive optimization, real-time optimization, energy monitoring, and reporting. It provides dashboards, KPIs panels, and historical power and energy consumption data.
OPTIMAX is also used to optimize the production of green hydrogen, taking advantage of available degrees of freedom and considering forecasting of renewables production and energy prices. A trade-off can be done between using the hydrogen storage or using the electrolyzer to close the balance with the consumers' hydrogen demand. This concept, applicable to small Green H2 installations, can be further extended to a site like a refinery.
Case studies: One case study highlighted the use of OPTIMAX in power plants, where it significantly improved efficiency and reduced steam wastage to zero. Another example involved utilities where OPTIMAX helped manage the volatility introduced by renewable energy sources, providing flexibility and fast ramping capabilities. Further, Mangesh highlighted the future of virtual power plants, where multiple distributed energy resources can be managed as a single entity for optimized energy usage and market interaction.
Last Word
ABB has the experience and has witnessed the energy transition journey. “Think of sustainability, think of energy (power and non-power) and technology such as OPTIMAX that provides flexibility and enhances operational efficiency,” concluded Mangesh.