Page 20 - Sustainable Times - Summer 2013

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A bird’s eye view
What’s the most effective way to cut
energy consumption? Is it to take
responsibility away from employees,
for example by implementing
automated controls? Or do you get
better results by encouraging staff
to take the initiative and do their bit
to eradicate wasteful practices?
A six-month experiment funded by
the Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council (EPSRC) and the
Technology Strategy Board (TSB)
suggests that the latter might be the
most effective course of action.
The Energy Project run by a
consortium of UK universities and
businesses recently conducted a trial
at the Chapel-en-le-Frith factory
of Federal Mogul, a supplier to the
automotive, power generation and
aerospace markets, and found that by
giving employees responsibility for
energy conservation – backed up by
PC-based monitoring tools – it was
able to cut power consumption at the
Derbyshire plant by up to 20%.
Much of the project’s success lies
with a PC-based 3D computer model
of the factory that displays real-time
energy data collected by low-cost
sensors. The combination of 3D
modelling and colour-coded graphs
showing energy use by machine or
factory area makes it easy for staff to
pin-point where energy is being wasted
and take remedial action.
Data reporting is supported by a
3D visualisation and modelling software can be more effective than
spreadsheets in communicating the benefits of changing processes
to reduce energy consumption.
variety of text and email prompts. For
example, the ‘last man out’ at the end
of a shift receives a message just before
they leave reminding them to turn
off unnecessary lights and machinery.
Competitions to see which shift can
achieve the greatest energy savings
provide further motivation to eradicate
wasteful practices.
Project Manager for the consortium,
Dan Mason of Moixa Technology,
argues that this collaborative
approach is more effective than highly
automated energy-saving systems that
require substantial capital investment
and can unwittingly foster a ‘not my
problem’ attitude towards all aspects of
energy consumption.
“The ‘joined-up’ approach to energy
savings developed by the consortium,
integrating different technologies
and putting major emphasis on
motivating and mobilising staff, really
pays dividends,” he said. “When empty
areas are over-lit or computers are
left on at night, it’s the workforce
that’s best placed to do something
about it. Engaging with them about
energy saving through workshops
and interviews has been at the heart
of the consortium’s approach.What
we’ve seen is that it really is possible to
change people’s mindset about energy
use and get them to think ‘what can I
do to make a difference?’.”
Federal Mogul is now rolling this
system out to the whole factory, with a
view to extending it to other Federal-
Mogul sites. The consortium itself is
exploring ways in which it can be taken
up by other businesses.
Try before you buy
Another organisation making use
of digital 3D technology to aid
understanding of complex data is
CyberPharm. Its Eco3D virtual reality
modelling software enables users to
create 3D models of business processes
and make adjustments to see what
impact changes have on their carbon
footprint and energy costs.
“One of the biggest advantages
of this solution,” claims CyberPharm
company director Ian Aubrey, “is that it
allows users to try out a wide range of
alternative solutions to their problems
before spending any money on costly
real-life changes: to try before they buy,
in effect.”
A 3D replica of a business and its
existing processes is created using
measurements and observations taken
on a business’s premises. This baseline
simulation gives users a bird’s eye view
of a facility, with the option to ‘walk-
through’ the system, as in a computer
game. Analysis reveals any problems
with rates of carbon emissions, energy
wastage or logistical inefficiencies.
The next stage is to use Eco3D to
gauge the effects of new processes,
designs, input or components on
running costs, productivity, energy
consumption and an organisation’s
carbon footprint – now and in the
future, taking into account the impact
of higher energy prices and carbon
taxes. In this way, users can try out
ideas in virtual reality before any actual
change or investment is made.
Eco3D software is available
3D visualisation
Competitions to
see which shift
can achieve
the greatest
energy savings
provide further
motivation
to eradicate
wasteful
practices.
Continued...
Below left: Colour-
coded graphs
show Federal
Mogul’s energy
consumption.
Below right: Text
alerts keep energy
efficiency front of
mind.
An Eco3D visualisation of G.H. Sheldon’s
bakery