ABB, GE, and Schneider Electric Launch Solutions for Industrial Sustainability

The drive towards sustainability has led many companies to find ways to cut energy use, reduce pollution, and other such efforts. This article highlights three new solutions designed to reduce waste and optimize resource usage. 

 

ABB’s Optimax solution is designed to improve energy management at wastewater treatment plants. Image used courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 

ABB’s Optimax for Energy Management

Wastewater treatment uses up to 3% of the world’s energy and generates up to 1.5% of the world’s greenhouse gasses. Instead of treating these numbers as an inescapable fact, ABB has announced its energy management solution for water and wastewater: Optimax. Optimax is an integrated system geared towards reducing energy usage and carbon emissions through the intelligent use of energy resources. It is capable of real-time monitoring of energy sources and forecasting which sources will be the most efficient in the near future. 

At a pilot plant in Germany, the ABB Optimax system generated nearly as much energy as it used, adding energy from multiple renewable sources on site. In particular, solar panels, a hydroelectric generator, and gas power from a digester were balanced based on current and forecasted conditions. The result was a plant that used little external electricity and reduced carbon emissions by 300 tons per year. 

 

GE looks to improve industrial sustainability with its AI-powered software. Image used courtesy of Adobe Stock

 

GE’s Proficy for Sustainability Insights

GE Vernova has also contributed to efforts to reduce energy usage. Its new Proficy for Sustainability Insights is designed to identify places where energy is wasted. To do so, it leverages AI and analytical tools to analyze a myriad of sensor data to look for energy use patterns and provide suggestions on how to reduce the losses.

As an example of this system in action, an automotive company used Proficy to evaluate its heating and cooling loads in a European manufacturing facility. Proficy detected and recommended several issues, including some discrepancies between temperature setpoints and at least one heater control valve that was not closing properly. The plant's heating costs were reduced by 18% after the changes were implemented.

 

Schneider Electric and Itron aim to overcome the challenge of managing the electrical grid under projected increased loads. Image used courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 

Schneider Electric and Itron Partnership

Schneider Electric and Itron have joined forces to improve energy distribution systems. Grid management has always been a challenge as new power plants go online and old ones retire while demands on the system change with new buildings and facilities. The electrification of transportation systems is also increasing the load on the grid, which must also be accounted for. With rooftop solar power systems growing in popularity, maintaining a functional electrical grid presents more challenges than ever.

In preparation for this trend's continuation, Schneider Electric is applying its control systems knowledge to managing an ever-changing electrical grid. Itron specializes in grid management systems, and so the partnership aims to reduce energy losses and grid downtime, ultimately improving the grid's efficiency and reliability.

 

Moving Forward

Sometimes the race towards a sustainable future looks like a fool’s errand. How can humans live on the planet and build the things that improve their lives without negatively impacting Earth’s other inhabitants? It seems like there is some balance where sustainability means limiting people, and those ideas are often what dominates the press.

However, the reality is that properly executed sustainability efforts are a way to improve human life. The three advances highlighted in this article represent a few of many important ways in which sustainability efforts and improving quality of life are friends rather than foes.