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Energy efficiency networks for companies – concept, achievements and prospects

Panel: 3. Energy use in industry: The road from policy to action

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Dirk Koewener, LEEN GmbH, Germany
Eberhard Jochem, Fraunhofer ISI, Germany
Michael Mai, Institute for Resource Efficiency and Energy Strategies (IREES) GmbH, Germany
Ursula Mielicke, Fraunhofer ISI, Germany

Abstract

In Energy Efficiency Networks (EEN) 10 to 15 regionally based companies from different sec-tors share their experiences in efficiency activities in moderated meetings. After an initial consulting and identification of profitable efficiency potentials in each company, all participants decide upon a joint target. Information of new energy efficiency solutions are introduced by experts during these meetings. The performance of each company is monitored on a yearly basis. A typical network period is about 3 to 4 years with up 16 meetings, before the companies decide, whether the EEN is prolonged or not.

The main goals of an EEN are to reduce transaction costs, to overcome obstacles, to raise the priority of energy efficiency, all particularly in cross cutting technologies and, hence, to reduce energy costs. Results from 70 networks in Switzerland and 20 in Germany show that the efficiency improvements of participating companies are accelerated by 100% compared to the autonomous progress. Almost every company has a profitable (internal rate > 12%) efficiency potential between 5 and 20% of its present energy demand.

The first EEN was founded in Switzerland in 1987. The idea was transferred to Germany in 2002. Currently, 50 EENs are operational in Germany. To foster the idea a “30-Pilot-Networks”-project was initiated by the authors in 2008 that is funded by the German govern-ment. Besides implementing 30 EENs the main goal of the project is to improve an existing network management system (MS) to operate EENs at a high quality standard. The MS will consist of an EEN-manual with helpful documents (e. g. contract templates, checklists, tech-nical manuals) and about 25 software-based techno-economic calculation tools under a uni-fied user interface. The MS labelled as LEEN (Learning Energy Efficiency networks) is planed to be consistent with the EN 16001. EENs are financed and operated mainly by industry itself and represent an innovative approach for companies worldwide.

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