Energy management, RES, and distributed generation economics

Sustainable energy management, a paradigm and theory, having concepts, principles, and methods that are only recently fully accepted and employed is an important and comprehensive framework, part of the sustainable development, attempting to plan the energy use on the past experience and future needs. The energy management fundamental goals are to produce goods and to provide services with the minimum energy use and environmental impacts. The term energy management has different meaning to different people and in different areas. The objective of Energy Management is to achieve and maintain optimum energy procurements and uses, throughout the organization and to minimize energy costs and energy waste without affecting production levels and quality, while minimizing the environmental energy use effects. This rather broad definition covers many operations from the services, product, and equipment design through the product shipment and delivery. Waste minimization and disposal, important aspects of an energy management plan are also presenting several and important energy management opportunities and solutions. Energy savings and waste reductions constitute primary measures for the protection of the environment and, in addition, for the reduction of exchange effluxes, which are used to purchase the polluting fossil fuels, coal, oil, and natural gas. Noticing that in most process industries, energy costs are second only to raw materials. Very often entire department is devoted to optimizing raw material choices and product slates, by using planning models, energy management, supply strategies, and optimization approaches. This chapter provides guidelines and information how to set up an energy management program. Energy efficiency is about getting the same or better services using less energy. This energy management aspect is in contrast to the energy conservation, which involves doing less with less. The critical issues for energy efficiency and energy management are to identify the services that are needed and make sure that these are being provided cost-effectively, with minimum energy use with the least environmental impacts. Irrespective of the energy cost size, the continuous process nature or the types of equipment employed, energy efficiency is a must. Understandably, though, management gives the greatest amount of attention to the largest costs. The basic principles of energy management and energy efficiency are universal but different types of facilities require different types of energy management programs. Energy management is a long-term commitment, not just something that is conducted once and then is forgotten. The term energy audit, an important tool of energy management is widely used and may have different meaning depending on the energy service companies. Energy auditing of buildings can range from a short walk-through of the facility to a detailed analysis with hourly computer simulation.