The Potential For Energy Efficiency Among Industrial Giants In
the face of an increasingly industrialized world -- and a world
facing unknown threats from climate change -- the importance of
driving up energy efficiency across sectors becomes crystal
clear. Fortunately, industries have already begun to tap into
new ideas for drawing down their energy demands and emissions.
The pulp and paper industry may ultimately prove to be the
poster child of industrial energy efficiency. Pulp and paper
manufacturers use energy differently - they don't require energy
as a feedstock and don't need very high temperature levels in
the transformation process. In part because it's cheaper, they
benefit from a good amount of self-generated energy extracted
on-site from biomass, such as bark, sludge and rejected wood.
Energy efficiency retrofits here are not excessively expensive
and yield internal rates of return closer to 10 percent. These
manufacturers also are willing to innovate when it comes to
boosting energy efficiency.