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Energy management in the Norwegian sawmill industry
Panel: 3. Energy management
This is a peer-reviewed paper.
Author:
Marcus Olsson, Norwegian Institute of Wood Technology, Norway
Abstract
In recent years, Norwegian sawmills have introduced simplified energy management systems. The current paper is based on seven of these energy management implementations. The sawmills covered in the paper produce wood products from timber using electricity and heat in the production process, the heat being produced from internal by-products. Historically, the price for electricity has been low in Norway and there has been a low demand for the by-products outside of the sawmill. Hence, the energy costs have been a small part of the production cost and energy management has not been a top priority. However, in the coming years, it is anticipated that the electricity price and the demand for by-products will rise, increasing the importance of energy management.
The primary goal of an energy management system is to reduce the energy use of the production process. In the sawmills studied, the energy savings achieved are in most cases results of structured and persistent energy management, gradually eliminating unnecessary energy use. Big investments in new and more energy efficient equipment also contribute to energy savings but are not as important as an organic evolution of an energy efficiency culture in the company. The resulting energy savings vary between the sawmills, but the typical sawmill achieves 5–10 % energy savings (kWh/m3 sawn products) in the first 1–2 years. In the following years, the sawmills set an energy saving goal of typically 2 % per year; a goal that is normally reached. The sawmills that have successfully implemented energy management have (1) a dedicated energy team with an appropriate amount of resources, (2) an energy management approach incorporated in the daily routines, and (3) a top management that enquires energy efficiency results. These sawmills also use strategic partners in different specialised fields to support the energy team.
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