Summary

On June 29, 2022, six ministries including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the "Notice on Printing and Distributing the Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement Action Plan" (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Notice No. 76 [2022], hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan"), with the primary aim of enhancing energy utilization efficiency in the industrial sector, promoting optimized allocation of energy resources, and providing up to 30 detailed action plans for energy efficiency improvement in specific industries. The joint issuance by the six ministries demonstrates the importance placed on the work of improving industrial energy efficiency. As an energy efficiency system data service provider, what can Ankoray do, and how? This article aims to interpret this significant document and offer solutions for discussion.

Keywords: Industrial Energy Efficiency; Data Center Energy Efficiency; Energy Audits; Energy Measurement Systems; Smart Energy Management and Control

File Interpretation

1.1 Primary Objective

① Energy efficiency in key industrial sectors is significantly improved, with notable gains in areas such as data centers.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the energy consumption per unit of added value in large-scale industries will decrease by 13.5% compared to 2020.

Green low-carbon energy utilization ratio significantly increased.

④ Key products in industries such as steel, petrochemicals, non-ferrous metals, and building materials have achieved energy efficiency at an internationally advanced level.

Action Plan (Highlight)

The "Action Plan" proposes 30 action schemes for energy efficiency improvement, providing detailed technical guidance, financial, and policy support for industrial enterprises and data centers to implement energy efficiency enhancement actions. Summarized as follows:

We are delving deep into the energy-saving potential of key industries such as steel, petrochemicals, non-ferrous metals, building materials, machinery, papermaking, textiles, and electronics. We are systematically advancing technological and process upgrades, driving the maximum possible improvement in energy efficiency, and achieving steady enhancements in industry energy efficiency levels.

② We are continuously advancing the construction of national green data centers. By 2025, the energy utilization efficiency (PUE) of newly constructed large and ultra-large data centers will exceed 1.3. We are promoting energy-saving hardware and software technologies in data centers, communication base stations, and communication rooms, and implementing real-time energy efficiency monitoring and management.

③ Implement energy efficiency improvement actions for equipment such as motors, transformers, and boilers, conduct energy efficiency diagnostics, and replace energy-saving equipment. Coordinate the enhancement of comprehensive energy efficiency in enterprise parks, promote industrial enterprises and industrial parks to strengthen energy management throughout the entire chain, dimensions, and process. Start from the international advanced level and energy efficiency benchmark of key industries, and reasonably set higher energy efficiency targets.

④ Enhance energy efficiency management in industrial enterprises. Implement energy management system certifications, conduct regular energy audits, energy-saving diagnoses, and energy efficiency benchmarking, and督促督促 enterprises to improve their energy measurement systems.

⑤ Strengthen energy management in industrial parks, enhance demand-side management of electricity, initiate demonstration projects and park creation in the industrial sector for demand-side management of electricity, and optimize the allocation of electricity resources. Support industrial enterprises and industrial parks that meet the criteria in building green microgrids, accelerate the development and operation of integrated systems such as distributed photovoltaics, decentralized wind power, heat pumps, waste heat and pressure recovery, and intelligent energy management, and promote the complementary use of multiple energy sources.

⑥  Actively promote the digital energy efficiency upgrade, fully leverage the empowering role of digital technology in enhancing industrial energy efficiency, drive the construction of an energy control system, and further deepen the development of corporate energy control systems. Through information collection and monitoring of energy flows, material flows, and other data, intelligent analysis, and refined management, achieve multi-objective operation decision optimization constrained by energy efficiency.

We are exploring typical application scenarios for "Industrial Internet + Energy Efficiency Management" in key industry fields, promoting integrated innovation models that combine platform design, intelligent manufacturing, networked collaboration, personalized customization, service extension, and digital management, all powered by the industrial internet as the carrier and energy efficiency management as the target.

Step up the selection and promotion of energy-saving technologies, enhance the supply of energy-saving equipment products, and increase the reserve of new energy-saving technologies. Provide industrial enterprises and parks with a "one-stop" comprehensive energy service, including energy conservation consultation, design, evaluation, monitoring, auditing, and certification, driving the transformation of service content from individual equipment and single process links to the entire energy system.

We are continuously enhancing industrial energy-saving supervision, deeply carrying out industrial energy-saving diagnostics, improving and perfecting the industrial energy-saving standard system, and resolutely curbing the blind development of high-energy-consuming, high-emission, and low-level projects.

We are enhancing implementation, policy guidance, financial support, and promotional exchanges, ensuring the effective implementation of the "double control" system for energy consumption. For regions that achieve the national incentive targets for reduced energy consumption intensity, their total energy consumption will be exempt from the current double control assessment. We will provide high-quality financial services to key projects with significant energy-saving and carbon-reduction effects.

 2. AcrelEMS Energy Management Platform Solution

The energy efficiency improvement measures mentioned in the "Action Plan" primarily include replacing energy-consuming equipment, promoting the upgrade of outdated processes, and implementing smart energy management. Most of the guidance plans explicitly emphasize the necessity of energy measurement systems and smart energy management in industrial energy audits, energy-saving diagnostics, and energy efficiency benchmarking. The author believes these are cost-effective solutions with quick returns and high cost-performance ratios, serving as the data foundation for the other two energy efficiency improvement methods. Below, we analyze the role of the smart energy management platform in industrial energy efficiency improvement actions, using the AcrelEMS corporate microgrid energy efficiency management platform as an example.

Ankore Electric boasts an integrated product ecosystem that ranges from energy metering perception and data collection gateways to energy efficiency management platforms. It offers a one-stop solution for enterprises to establish an energy efficiency measurement system. This system measures and analyzes energy consumption for internal operations such as office spaces, workshops, production lines, teams, major equipment, processes, and auxiliary facilities like canteens and employee dormitories. By analyzing data, it calculates the energy consumption per unit of product or per ten thousand yuan of output value, and compares...International Leader, Benchmark of Industry EfficiencyAndBenchmark ValueBenchmarking for energy efficiency, identifying sources of low efficiency, and analyzing the nodes of low efficiency are key to enhancing industrial energy efficiency. Figure 1 is an excerpt from the National Development and Reform Commission's 2021 publication "Energy Efficiency Benchmark Levels and Baseline Levels in Key Fields of High-Energy-Consuming Industries (2021 Edition)."

Figure 1: Extracted from the Notice issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments regarding the release of "Energy Efficiency Benchmark and Baseline Levels for Key Fields in Energy-Intensive Industries (2021 Edition)"

AcrelEMS' Enterprise Microgrid Energy Efficiency Management Platform, through the installation of metering and analysis devices at critical nodes such as sources, grids, loads, storage, and charging in the enterprise microgrid, establishes a three-tiered metering system to monitor the total and intensity of energy consumption, thereby diagnosing low-efficiency segments. The platform adjusts energy usage strategies based on new grid prices, power consumption loads, grid dispatch instructions, and other conditions, prioritizing the use of green energy to ensure the stable operation of the enterprise microgrid, quickly responding to grid demands, and achieving energy interconnection and information interaction. It also allows data to be uploaded to energy management platforms such as the National Development and Reform Commission's energy consumption online monitoring platform for key energy-consuming units, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's platform, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development's building energy consumption monitoring platform.

Figure 2 AcrelEMS Corporate Microgrid Energy Efficiency Management Platform

2.1 Energy Efficiency Benchmarking to Uncover Energy-Saving Potential

AcrelEMS' Energy Management Platform, by establishing a three-tiered metering system, collects comprehensive corporate energy data, enabling businesses to understand various energy consumption levels, down to the building, workshop, production line, team, and process. It calculates product specific energy consumption, energy consumption per unit area, or energy consumption per ten thousand yuan of output value, thereby determining the total and intensity of energy consumption indicators. Additionally, it allows for comparison with international standards and domestic industry benchmarks, identifying opportunities for energy efficiency improvement. This aids in energy performance assessment and optimization, addressing inefficiencies or phasing out outdated production capabilities.

Figure 3: Analysis of Energy Consumption per Unit of Industrial Product or Energy Consumption per Ten Thousand Yuan of Output Value

Figure 4: Energy Efficiency Benchmark (Industry Standard, Baseline Value)

2.2 Reduce Data Center PUE

The "Action Plan" specifically mentions energy efficiency targets for data centers and provides guidance for enhancing energy efficiency in data centers, communication base stations, and communication rooms. Ankerui offers intelligent precision distribution cabinets or intelligent busbar solutions for data centers, complemented by energy efficiency management systems for data centers and 5G communication base stations. This assists in transitioning from high-voltage substation management to individual cabinet energy consumption data at the end, establishing a digital system for data centers, and providing management strategies and data support for energy-saving and cost-reduction in data centers and 5G base stations.

Figure 5: Data Center Energy Efficiency Monitoring

2.3 Industrial Energy Management

AcrelEMS Energy Management System not only calculates the total and intensity of energy consumption for enterprises but also assists industrial companies in developing and implementing energy-saving plans, establishing responsible systems for energy-saving goals, and pursuing energy management system certifications. The platform can set energy and production plans, thereby predicting energy usage and formulating performance assessment targets based on this.

Figure 6: Corporate Energy Plan

2.4 Multi-energy Complementary Park

The AcrelEMS Energy Management Platform configures the expansion of the park's power supply capacity based on the park's electricity usage characteristics, including distributed photovoltaics and energy storage. It combines load control of internal charging stations, lighting, and air conditioning, to proactively plan energy control strategies for the enterprise. This integrates the park's production power demand, new energy generation, and controllable loads into a microgrid, and formulates an orderly electricity use strategy with peak-shaving plans. It establishes warning lines and can also automatically disconnect loads, such as air conditioners and charging stations, in accordance with pre-set priority orders to respond to grid demand response, providing data and strategy support for reliable and energy-efficient operations.

Figure 7: Smart Industrial Park Grid, New Energy, Charging Poles, and Controllable Load Efficiently Connected

2.5 Industrial Internet + Energy Efficiency Management

AcrelEMS' Energy Management Platform offers industrial configuration functions, providing 2D/3D configuration interfaces based on corporate production processes. It reflects the operation status and energy consumption data of the production and auxiliary systems in real-time, assisting enterprises in gaining a more intuitive understanding of production operations. The platform features an integrated innovative model that combines platform design and digital management, with industrial internet as the carrier and energy efficiency management as the object.

Figure 8: Industrial Enterprise Process Configuration Analysis

2.6 Improve the energy efficiency of major energy-consuming equipment

The AcrelEMS Energy Management Platform monitors and analyzes the energy efficiency of key industrial equipment such as air compressors and hot and cold water systems, determining if the overall energy efficiency meets standards. It helps users identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvement and provides solutions, including variable frequency transformation of air conditioning water systems or replacing high-energy air compressors, to find the optimal operating area for motors and reduce the overall energy consumption of the enterprise.

Figure 9: Cold and Hot Water Pipeline and Boiler Energy Efficiency Monitoring

2.7 Key Energy-Consuming Units' Energy Consumption

To achieve the dual control target of energy consumption at the local level, the primary focus should be on the energy consumption data of key energy-consuming units. Construct a regional comprehensive energy consumption management platform, focusing on monitoring the "high energy consumption, high emission" large-scale "double-high" key energy-consuming units. Set a cap on the incremental addition of "double-high" projects. Promote double-high enterprises to reduce their total energy consumption and energy consumption intensity through economic and administrative means, enhancing energy utilization efficiency.

Figure 10: Key Energy Consumption Monitoring of Energy-Intensive Units

3. Conclusion

The joint issuance by six ministries of the "Notice on Printing the Action Plan for Enhancing Industrial Energy Efficiency" provides detailed action plans for improving energy efficiency in key energy-consuming industries. It will utilize economic and policy tools to promote the achievement of energy efficiency goals, all of which are阶段性 action plans towards the dual carbon targets. Industrial enterprises mentioned in the notice should carefully understand the spirit of the "Action Plan," improve their energy measurement systems, use digital platform tools to manage energy plans, optimize their energy consumption structure, benchmark against industry standards, and effectively reduce the total and intensity of energy consumption, making the enterprises more competitive.