6 ways to reduce plant emissions

The preindustrial concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere was 280 parts per million (PPM). As of December 2016, it was 404.93 PPM. The amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence.

Because consuming energy from fossil-fuel (coal, natural gas, oil) sources generates carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases that promote a greenhouse gas (GHG) effect, reducing energy from these sources reduces GHG emissions. Burning 1 gallon of gasoline puts nearly 20 pounds of CO₂ into the Earth’s atmosphere, according to the U.S. National Park Service.

Here are six ways stamping manufacturers can reduce their energy consumption and, therefore, GHG emissions, as reported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA) and ENERGY Star (www.energystar.gov/industry):

1. Energy-saving Equipment, Machinery

• Compressed air—Is the system optimized, and has a leak program been established?
• Motors, drives, pumps—Are you using the most efficient motors, variable-frequency drives (VFD), and pumps?
• Off = zero emissions—Is equipment shut off when not in use?
• Presses—Are your presses equipped with energy-saving features, such as servo drives, regenerative braking, energy banks, and capacitors?

2. Facility HVAC, Lighting

• Heating—Can heater, boiler, and fired systems’ set points be changed? Are they optimized? Are heat recovery options available?
• Cooling—Can cooling systems’ and chillers’ set points be changed? Can the cool temperatures be recovered and reused?
• Lighting—Is lighting technology updated with sensored systems and high-efficiency technologies?

3. Fleets and In-plant Vehicles

• Are you making good use of conveyor systems, automated guided vehicles, and carted systems to limit the number of lift trucks you use? Are you using an electric or hybrid lift truck fleet?
• Does your highway fleet operate using biofuels? Do you use rail transportation when possible?

4. Energy Management

• Have you developed an energy management plan?
• Do you participate in a demand response program?
• Do you use sensors and controls to monitor your usage?
• Do you look for energy recovery and reuse opportunities?

5. Renewable Energy

Renewable energy (solar energy, wind power, hydropower, geothermal, biotechnology) grew at an average annual growth rate of 35 percent from 2010 to 2015, according to Forbes, and wind and solar accounted for more than 10 percent of U.S. electricity generation in March 2017, according to the DOE EIA. Are you taking advantage of the opportunities to source emissions-free renewable energy to power your plant and equipment, either on-site or from centralized power stations?

6. Heated Water Recovery

• Because reducing heated water reduces energy consumption, do you use counterflow wash stations?
• Do you have an opportunity to recover heat from a water system and reuse it elsewhere in your plant?