Embracing the journey to net zero and decarbonization with predictive maintenance and real-time granular data.
By Mohamad Ezzeddine, Energy Project Manager, Renteknik Group
With the extremely strong push to reach each businesses net zero goals by 2050, many are facing challenges along the way, leaving them unsure how to proceed and plan for the future of decarbonization. Businesses have been discussing the importance of carbon reduction for quite some time, however over the last couple years reducing ones carbon footprint has shifted from a slow moving tactical plan, to strategic urgency.
Reducing waste is seen in so many ways, however when it comes to businesses, facilities and organizations, one of their most challenging hurdles is reduction and becoming more sustainably conscious through operational and energy efficiency and more so the equipment and systems that operate, sometimes all day long, within a facility.
To proactively maintain equipment can be challenging and what can stand to be even more difficult is to ensure you are monitoring, maintaining and reporting on each piece of equipment, ensuring that all your operations are running properly, your equipment is healthy and that you are not wasting more energy than needed.
Predictive maintenance is the process of using real-time data analysis and other technological systems to detect and prevent defects, costly equipment failure and operational down-time. This process can be a substantial cost-saver along with a huge relief on sustainability and driving increased efficiency.
How can real-time data analytics help your efforts in predictive maintenance?
From fail to fix and prevent and predict! Let’s take the example of a facility that has two vacuum pumps running. To the naked eye, both pumps are working perfectly, but without any real-time data analytics, it makes it almost impossible to know what is actually happening to each piece of equipment. If we were to monitor the energy usage and functionality of both pumps and compare them to each other, we can see that the one pump (blue line) cycles on and off correctly, where the other pump (purple line) runs continually. This not only impacts production but may also shorten the life expectancy of the piece of equipment, as it is working much harder than needed, resulting in energy waste into the environment and out of your businesses bank account.
Taking the opportunity to engage your business in the journey to net zero.
Businesses all over the world are welcoming the opportunity to become more environmentally friendly, more sustainably conscious and actively portray their carbon neutral mandate status. On the other hand, if your business is lacking a plan for 2050 and falling behind on sustainability efforts, there is a risk of becoming left behind when the competition shines through.
A second opportunity that is more so obvious when cutting back on your overall energy waste, is the savings you will take hold of in the years to come, Government grants and incentives will begin to provide opportunities to save and cut back and as long as organizations can structure themselves to ensure they are able to take advantage of these incentives, they will benefit greatly from them.
Lastly, is the opportunity to engage staff and employees within your organization. Staff who feel that they are working for a company that cares and has a culture that holds sustainability as an importance will gain a workforce that is productive and compassionate about their place of work.
Taking steps forward as a business and making an impact on your carbon footprint
The only way your business can act effectively in this face-paced, changing environment is through establishing a work-wide culture that begins to make sustainability and carbon-neutral a priority. Setting sustainability goals and a business plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade holds enormous growth opportunity, will attract customers and new employees that are passionate about the same goals and will overall impact your bottom line and set you apart from your competitors.