Many companies are working toward the goal of being sustainable while also maintaining profitability, in part by integrating and applying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into operations. Paige Marie Morse, Industry Director at AspenTech, an asset optimization company, recently talked with POWER about the future of sustainability in the energy industry.
POWER: Sustainability is top of mind for leaders across industries. What are the first steps to take when implementing sustainability efforts?
Morse: Businesses have a growing awareness of sustainability as consumers and world leaders put pressure on them to find solutions for a “greener” future. Businesses vary greatly in their approaches to sustainability. To see real success, it’s vital to understand the program objectives and balance the “Three Ps”: People, Planet, and Profitability. Emissions and waste output are top of mind, and early efforts are underway to build toward a circular economy. Revenue and profitability are also important, so any long-term efforts to go green must account for this and not hinder production.
Once objectives are established, it sets a clear foundation for determining a benchmark to measure results against. Reporting metrics should align with the business objectives. For example, if the goal is to reduce emissions, a common metric to report on is facilities’ energy usage as well as process emissions.
Lastly, it’s critical to plan ahead for pain points. There are a variety of circumstances that can cause downtime and lost product, which contribute to energy waste and emission increases in asset-intensive industries. Having a plan in place to ensure operations can run as smoothly and efficiently as possible means businesses can better avoid losses. The most reliable way to address the biggest pain points—production and energy waste—in an industrial setting is moving into Industry 4.0 and introducing and implementing digital technologies into operations.
POWER: As digital technologies are increasingly introduced into operations, in which ways will they improve energy sustainability?
Morse: Industrial processes demand high energy input. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the bulk chemical industry accounts for the largest portion of U.S. industrial energy use, at 28%, followed by refining at 18%. That’s why ensuring processes remain operational and efficient is key to curbing energy output. However, efficiency is often subject to unforeseen variables, like fluctuating temperatures, feedstock changes, and equipment issues. Implementing advanced digital technologies into operations can not only optimize operations around these variables but also find new efficiencies that ultimately impact energy usage and a company’s bottom line.
Digital technologies deliver increased efficiency across the entire operating lifecycle, which results in improved energy usage. Advanced, predictive supply chain scheduling technology can determine issues in processes that could lead to unplanned downtime, thus eliminating problems long before they impact operations. The ability to predict—sometimes weeks in advance—ensures operations run smoothly so energy isn’t wasted on inefficient processes, thus decreasing energy output and emissions.
