Expert article by RIZM in Ingenics magazine

The success of a sustainable, modular factory is increasingly decided at the interface of production and energy flexibility.

Those who can shift energy-intensive processes to periods with a favorable electricity tariff transform from a pure consumer into a "flexumer/prosumer". This opens up potentially high savings and additional profits – but only if the planning systems and operating procedures are aligned with the strongly fluctuating energy prices.

Opportunity instead of risk:
Volatile energy markets mean high, but also very low electricity costs over the course of the day. Those who successfully model these fluctuations can achieve considerable savings in operation. In planning, on the other hand, it comes down to combining the right energy sources, assets and storage as early as possible. Classic, experience-based approaches quickly reach their limits here: the greater the choice of technologies and possible configurations, the higher the risk of not choosing the optimal (and therefore most cost-effective) asset mix.

Data, algorithms and AI:
Solution approaches therefore rely on extensive data foundations and powerful algorithms. According to Elias Küpper, CEO of the software developer RIZM, a holistic optimization – which, in addition to energy supply and infrastructure, also includes production data – can often realize savings in the millions. His team developed algorithms at Stanford University and RWTH Aachen that accurately model the actual price volatility and can thus create a digital twin of a site's entire energy economy.

Getting started with flexible factory planning:
Companies can either search existing assets for previously unused flexibilities or use the opportunities directly in greenfield or brownfield projects. In any case: the more data and empirical values on actual energy consumption are available, the faster improvements can be planned and implemented. A holistic view is always important: from the use of green hydrogen technologies, PV systems or heat pumps to the integration of innovative storage systems, every element must be aligned with the interplay in the overall system.

Here is the article in the Ingenics magazine:
https://www.ingenics.com/en/magazine/issue/12-2024-just-get-started/