One of ABB’s largest sites in the United States is powering ahead with a range of sustainable initiatives to slash its carbon footprint and save more than $150,000 per year in energy costs.
The 150,000 sq ft aftermarket support and service facility for ABB Electrification Service, located at Florence in South Carolina has not only implemented a range of energy savings measures, such as low energy lighting and water reduction, but is now also using cutting edge software to monitor and reduce power consumption.
The journey began a few years ago with a retrofit of the aging air conditioning system, introducing new roof units and modern control automation to ensure temperatures remained stable and consistent across the complex.
The upgraded air conditioning system meant the facility – which is managed by Shawn Shockey, Manager of Manufacturing for ABB Electrification - no longer required natural gas heating, resulting in further cost and emission reductions through the disposal of an on-site natural gas tank.
Shockey and his team then moved their focus to natural resources and swapped out the main water feedpipe to the building with a narrower restricted flow pipe at the same time as introducing low-flow faucets to reduce overall water consumption.
Lighting in the 90,000 sq ft shopfloor was next on the list and the existing 240v metal halide lighting was replaced with modern LED units – an investment that delivered savings to cover the initial capital expenditure in less than three years.
State-of-the-art monitoring
With the groundwork in place, the team has recently installed state-of-the-art monitoring software from Ndustrial, a real-time intelligence platform that enables companies to gain insight into their processes and energy usage.
By placing twenty plus monitors on electrical equipment at key energy usage points around the facility, the software provides consumption data to an online dashboard, which according to Shockey is already delivering a range of actionable insights.
“One of the first things we noticed were peaks in power demand for the AC system throughout the day and that immediately makes you ask what’s going on. You want to know what’s happening at that time of day and what’s causing the extra demand," Shockey explained.
“One thought we had was that because the warehouse is not air conditioned, perhaps the system was working extra hard at times to normalize the overall temperature. We thought we should do the math on this and find out if it would be more efficient to install another AC unit in the warehouse than pay the additional energy costs. Now we are bringing in an outside auditing firm to do the analysis and confirm our suspicion.”
Shockey and his team also used key data from the platform to discover that air compressors were being left to run over the weekend, wasting significant quantities of energy. They have now put into place new measures to ensure machines are switched off over weekends and holidays.
“Ndustrial is a powerful tool for helping businesses understand their energy intensity — the amount of energy, emissions and cost required for one unit of production,” added Shawn. “We are only just scraping the surface of what the software is capable of.”
The next major project for the Florence team is a huge solar farm with 1500 panels across three acres, capable of generating 840 kWac of electricity – edging the plant towards self-sufficiency and eliminating its monthly electricity bill of up to $15,000.
Playing the long game
Shockey said: “You need to play the long game when it comes to investing in renewables. There is a plethora of fast-moving new technology in this space so it pays off to do your research, get good advice and make sure you select the correct long-term solution the first time.
“Alongside the solar farm, we will be introducing the latest Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) solutions to ensure a consistent, uninterrupted supply of electricity even when the sun isn’t shining. You've got to be patient and vigilant with this type of project but ultimately the effort pays off.”
Situated in the “Low Country” of South Carolina and employing some 100 workers, the Florence facility provides aftermarket support and service for power and electricity distribution equipment including switchgear, breakers and other electrical equipment. The electrical infrastructure that Florence repairs, retrofits, and upgrades can be found on the power grid and at industrial and commercial locations throughout the United States.
