Power conservation
in printing presses
Power is consumed in various ways across all sectors of Indian industries and homes. Despite in generating power vital and limited natural resources are depleted to convert the energy from one form to another, significant amount of energy gets wasted or lost in the system, which may happen due to lack of knowledge, interest or less efficient systems. Kapil K Mathur, technical corporate, DB Corp Ltd, Jaipur presents how to conserve energy by minimizing its waste through adopting effective ways of consumption.
Kapil K Mathur
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Generally, it is observed that at any organisation in a print industry, no one is directly responsible for monitoring, the waste happening in, of power. Each company has its own characteristics and guidelines, on need based monitoring and targeting system to meet its requirements, but the ‘energy’ recurs direct cost to the company and for the nation too. The availability of energy for industrial infrastructure on sustainable basis is important and must be ensured. Indian print industry is increasing significantly; hence the demand of electrical energy is growing. As in generating power, natural resources are being depleting fast, there is a need to conserve energy. It is also strongly felt that the energy cost takes up substantial share in the overall cost structure in print industry. This economic inspires to take initiatives and promote the saving drive among print industry in larger perspective.
According to the report, the Central Electricity Authority of India has projected an energy shortfall of about ten percent for this year. The power shortage situation calls for energy conservation, which essentially means using less energy for the same level of activity. Saving or conserving energy of about ten percent or more in an organization is not the big target to achieve; we can initiate to save energy to compensate the shortfall and additionally to save organization’s revenue.
It is a well known fact that a driver of any vehicle knows as to how many kilometers he can drive his vehicle with one liter of fuel, but very few printers know how much energy their printing press consumes each time they run or in across the month. It is understood that, fuel millage of the vehicle and its technology has become a key factor in its selection, and so energy consumption and technology play a similar important role in the printing press. Presently, the print manager gives priority to its production only, but it is a significant for the printer to know precisely how much power his press and other utilities are consuming, what are recyclables? How losses or wastages can be avoided? Or what best else printer can do for the organization in limited available resources?
As a printing organization we use a great deal of energy to produce our products. In a typical press set up of offset printing machines the major power consumption load are in a ratio of, press – 78 percent (68 percent), utilities – 08 percent, light- 06 percent, and air conditioners – 08 percent (18 percent). The energy manager of the company should be able to decide the key area for saving.
The approach to create sustainable energy system and to have better technology, the management of organizations can form a ‘team’ that includes the printers, technocrats and utility technicians. The role of the energy management team members can be defined as: Preparing an energy management policy for the company, training all employees wherever needed, implementing the guidelines issued by the chief energy officer, driving a fix time or periodic inspection, auditing energy drives and initiatives, reviewing and monitoring energy consumption, making accountable for reducing the energy consumption and setting new targets, ensuring carbon foot print reduction and calculation, and preparing feed- back and records forms. Proper use of available resources, energy efficient presses as well as utilities and technically developed system is the main mantra that will lead to sustainable energy management. It is well said that “Every unit save is equal to unit generated”, but if we see from other side of public utility system this phrase becomes more effective. The transmission and other losses gets add up, and it can be said as “Every unit save is twice the unit generated”.
The formation of such teams in individual presses for energy conservation programme will lead the printing industry to the new horizon; which will make new benchmark in terms of energy profitability. In a study made out of twenty percent energy saving in industries, have shown that five percent savings come from good house-keeping only, another five percent comes from conventional technology. And ten percent comes from innovation and development of the work. Today power has become a prime factor in deciding the product cost at micro level and in dictating the inflation and the debt burden at the macro level. Some of the organizations may have taken initiatives and they are training all concern employees to initiate. There is no need to appoint separate man-power; the active technical members of the company can drive through the opportunities in this field which may not only save energy for the company or for nation but for all human beings.
The overall economic structure of a company is usually the most important factor affecting the management decision to apply on conservation and technology system. In particular, the benefits arise from the reduction of output losses and proper maintenance of equipment providing good savings from the conventional methods which may be as high as ten percent as compared to badly maintained machines, specially where it consumes the major load in plant.
A great improvement can be achieved while adoption of new technologies which can be planned and designed at the time of installation of new plant or as equipment retrofit. These are available in the market and our government is promoting such type of conservation products through their policies and taxes rebate. Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) a government body provides guidelines for better and efficient products by giving star rating mark on such products. The low power consumption devices should be installed in press and energy efficient system. Indirect savings must be preferred, like the LED light in printing plant in place of high bay light or conventional light bringing almost 70 percent cost reduction, thus calculating the return on investment to about two and half years. Harmonic currents and low power factor created by non-linear loads that may be due to printing press DC drive, UPS, variable speed drive for air compressor or chiller pumps, not only result in possible power factor penalties, but also increase the power losses in a distribution system. Various techniques, methods and equipments are available not only to improve the system but also avail the incentives recommended by public utilities.
Globally, industrial energy consume 40 percent of electricity, 77 percent of coal and coal products use, and 37 percent of natural gas use and these are the major contributor to CO2 emissions. It becomes perception that energy efficiency of the industrial sector is too complex to be addressed through public policy but is observed that industrial facilities will achieve energy efficiency through the competitive pressures by the market place alone. The competition pressure and hike in raw material prices keep industry to think again for saving various wastages and losses. “Conservation does not cost much, but saves a lot, need to make it a habit”
