All’interno delle azioni messe in campo per arginare i cambiamenti climatici, il ruolo dell’industria e del suo conseguente impatto economico-ambientale sono fondamentali nel definire un piano di crescita e sviluppo, che tenga conto della sostenibilità, del contenimento dei consumi e della riduzione delle emissioni di CO2 nell’ambiente. Allo stesso tempo, anche l’aumento dei costi delle fonti produttrici di energia ha messo, soprattutto nell’ultimo anno, al centro delle politiche di produzione industriale la questione dell’efficientamento.

Ecco perché un piano di risparmio energetico, meglio conosciuto come Energy Saving, può permettere alle aziende di contenere i consumi di energia producendo una ricaduta positiva sia in termini di costi economici che ambientali, andando nella direzione auspicata della decarbonizzazione dell’economia e degli obiettivi di diminuzione dei consumi stabilita dal PNIEC 2030 (Piano Nazionale Integrato per l’Energia e il Clima 2030).

QUANDO SI PARLA DI ENERGY SAVING

Con Energy Saving, o piano di efficientamento energetico, si intende quel sistema integrato che coinvolge analisi, progetti e interventi che un’azienda può attuare per ottenere il più alto livello di efficienza energetica. Il piano di risparmio energetico deve tenere conto del mantenimento degli standard di redditività dell’impresa, in modo che le azioni di contenimento dei consumi non rischino di penalizzare la competitività produttiva dell’azienda.

IN COSA CONSISTE L’ENERGY SAVING

Un piano di Energy Saving deve partire da un’analisi dettagliata e puntuale del fabbisogno energetico dell’azienda, attraverso una mappatura dei consumi che si vogliono efficientare. A seguire è necessario procedere con un progetto generalizzato che coinvolga il controllo e, se necessario, l’ammodernamento degli impianti preesistenti, oltre al passaggio, per la produzione energetica, da combustibili fossili alle energie da fonti rinnovabili.

Uno degli interventi più valido per massimizzare la rendita dell’impiantistica industriale è l’adozione di sistemi più efficaci, che permettano di recuperare l’energia che si produce. Tra questi i più diffusi sono quelli cogenerativi, nei quali l’energia elettrica e quella termica vengono generate contemporaneamente, e quelli trigenerativi, che utilizzano l’energia termica prodotta con la cogenerazione per alimentare un frigorifero ad assorbimento che produce acqua fredda da utilizzare negli impianti di condizionamento.

PERCHÉ LE AZIENDE DOVREBBERO VALUTARLO

Con l’aumento del costo delle fonti energetiche da un lato e la definizione degli obiettivi di decarbonizzazione dell’economia dall’altro, per le aziende che vogliono essere competitive sul mercato nazionale e sui mercati internazionali si rende necessario attuare un piano di Energy Saving. Ma gli interventi di efficientamento non hanno una ricaduta diretta soltanto nei termini economici legati alla significativa riduzione dei costi in bolletta: le pratiche di saving energetico permettono di ottenere una diminuzione dei rischi legati alle continuità forniture di energia e soprattutto un efficace taglio dei costi di manutenzione e di gestione degli impianti, con una massimizzazione delle performance e il conseguente abbattimento delle emissioni in atmosfera. 

Tutti questi vantaggi si ripercuotono significativamente anche sull’immagine aziendale, sulla credibilità internazionale ma soprattutto sull’aumento della qualità produttiva: dall’analisi effettuata per il progetto InduCo del 2018 è emerso che le aziende che hanno attuato piani di energy saving hanno aumentato del 56% il loro indice di competitività.  Infine, nel nostro paese sono presenti numerosi sistemi che incentivano le aziende che abbracciano l’adozione di piani di promozione dell’efficienza energetica: il conto termico, un incentivo sugli interventi di efficientamento, le detrazioni fiscali applicabili agli interventi di riqualificazione e i certificati bianchi, chiamati anche Titoli di Efficienza Energetica (TEE), che rappresentano senza alcun dubbio il meccanismo incentivante più importante per le industrie e vengono riconosciuti per ogni TEP ottenuto a seguito di un intervento di efficientamento.

Ecco perché l’adozione di un piano di energy saving sta configurandosi come un passaggio obbligato per le aziende che vogliono essere industrialmente competitive, che si fondi su sostenibilità, energetica e ambientale, ed efficienza.

The European Parliament confirmed a few weeks ago the taxonomy of sustainable investments as proposed by the European Commission. With the complementary delegated act, under which gas and nuclear are included in the green investment classification on a par with wind and solar, the EU stated, in the words of Financial Services Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, that “we want to ensure that private investment in gas and nuclear, which is necessary for our energy transition, meets strict criteria. Investment in renewables is already a priority in our taxonomy: this is our future. Our proposal provides transparency so that investors know what they are investing in’. However, the proposal does not only aim to include these sources in the list of sustainable energies, but also attempts to outline new future guidelines and the necessary criteria and conditions for implementing the energy transition process.

Despite the confirmation that the inclusion of some natural gas and nuclear activities will remain limited in time and depend on specific conditions, the Europarliament’s decision has raised numerous criticisms, mainly concerning the actual sustainability of fossil gas and nuclear power. These energy resources have always suffered from the prejudice of a lack of clarity, which does not take into account the enormous technological progress that continues to be made, especially with regard to the disposal of the waste produced by the fission process and its subsequent storage in isolated and secure repositories.

However, in a scenario of energy supply crisis such as the one we are currently experiencing, fossil gas and nuclear energy, which are two of the main sources of primary energy because they do not involve any energy transformation as they are already present in nature in a pure state, must be considered as viable alternatives, not least because of the advantages they provide.

Fossil gas is the second most widely used energy source after oil. Easily used and transformed into secondary energy sources, it has a simple storage process: the energy supplied is therefore much cheaper than that from other sources, as well as being significantly more flexible. New technological processes are acting on network efficiency and sustainability; thanks to the implementation of biomethane supply chain processes, we are witnessing a virtuous circularity and optimisation in the use of resources.

With regard to the use of nuclear power, on the other hand, the question of advantages and disadvantages is, especially in public opinion, more difficult to fit into a strategic Green New Deal framework, which takes the form of a pact between citizens and businesses in order to improve the relationship between energy security, environmental protection and energy accessibility. While the use of nuclear power makes it possible to produce large amounts of energy at low cost – it is estimated that one power plant can meet the needs of one or more medium-sized cities -, it also ensures a significant decrease in CO2 emissions, reducing the environmental impact considerably. Furthermore, although start-up is capital intensive, the fact that the life of a plant is very long and with low running costs, it is possible to amortise the initial investment. There is also a geopolitical factor that should not be overlooked: nuclear power plants become secure and continuous sources of electricity, guaranteeing the various states that host them energy independence from foreign supplies.

The purification of water from civil and industrial effluents is a process consisting of numerous stages that require a high energy input to complete.
One of these stages of the purification process, produces biogas, used like fuel in the cogeneration system with Capstone Turbines. By producing electrical and thermal energy at the same time, the cogeneration system allows for energy efficiency, main significant economic savings, and also results in reduced carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
IBT has been a partner of Capstone Green Energy Corporation for over 20 years for the Italian market. IBT already installed a fleet of more than 260 units in cogeneration and trigeneration applications. To find out how microturbines can energetically optimize sewage treatment plants while reducing atmospheric CO2 emissions, you can get your free copy of the e-book “Wastewater Treatment Efficiency in Our Cities.”

https://www.ibtgroup.at/ebook-sistemi-di-cogenerazione-ibt-per-depuratori/

Trigeneration plants are based on a technology that allows the combined production of electrical, thermal and cooling energy. The latter, specifically, uses turbine cogenerators to power cooling systems. The applications of these systems are manifold, both in industrial processes that require a systematic lowering of temperatures, and in air conditioning systems also for civil use.

HOW A TRIGENERATION PLANT WORKS

Trigeneration, commonly referred to by the acronym CCHP ‘Combined Cooling, Heating and Power’, functions in the same way as cogeneration plants, through which the energy produced is not dispersed but collected and reused. The main difference lies in the fact that trigenerative technology, which is essentially an extension of cogeneration, implements the results of the latter through the recovery of thermal energy, which is used in the production of cooling energy.

As in cogeneration, electricity and heat are obtained in these systems from combustion from fossil or renewable sources, whether liquid or gaseous. But in the case of trigeneration, the efficiency of the entire process is even higher: cooling energy is also added to the electrical and thermal energy, achieving the plant’s maximum energy efficiency results.

With the help of an absorption refrigerator, in fact, the heat that has been produced by cogeneration is transformed into chilled water following an evaporation process at low temperatures. The water produced is then combined with an absorbent and cooling substance (based on water, lithium bromide and ammonia) that generates the refrigeration process.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRIGENERATION PLANTS

Trigeneration plants can be of various types since they differ on the basis of the initial fuel, through which the starting engine is fed. For this reason, we can find different trigeneration technologies, such as gas, biogas, biomass or diesel.

IBT Group, as Capstone’s exclusive partner for the Italian market, can boast the use of patented ‘oil free’ technology, of aeronautical origin, in cogeneration and trigeneration systems.

With the use of Capstone turbines in both types of plant, IBT Group guarantees the total absence of lubricating oil thanks to the so-called ‘air-bearings’, special bearings that run on air and avoid mechanical contact with the turbine support shaft, managing to limit friction to just the start-up and interruption phases of the process. This technology has numerous advantages, both from an economic point of view in terms of reducing consumption and limiting greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

INDUSTRIAL AND CIVIL APPLICATION WHERE THEY ARE USED

A trigeneration system finds its use of excellence in all those situations, of industrial operation such as food, chemical, paper, refineries, or other industries, where simultaneous production of electricity and heat is required in addition to cooling. But even in the civil sector we find applications for this type of system, especially for all those structures that maintain a constant demand for thermal and electrical energy and at the same time require cooling systems such as hospitals, nursing homes, shopping centres, and sports centres.

In hot weather, for example, to maximise the operation of air-conditioning devices or in general, throughout the year, to power cooling systems used extensively in industry. The rational exploitation of the heat produced by combustion allows a significant containment of energy, which in turn has a significant impact on saving money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.