Comprehensive approach to increase energy efficiency based on versatile industrial practices

Throughout industrial practice, the problem is that of identifying a suitable holistic approach connecting Cleaner Production, Total Site Integration, and Energy Efficiency Optimization. The combination of all the before mentioned concepts is believed to be crucial for comprehensive assessment of the energy and environmental issues within a company. Various case studies are included within this paper regarding the implementations of cleaner production principles, energy audit performance, pinch analysis and various optimisation techniques' calculations. Several energy audits of industrial processes within the dairy, ceramic, metal processing and meat processing industries, services such as laundries and of public buildings were carried out in order to find possibilities for increasing the overall energy efficiencies of industrial processes, buildings and energy systems. On the bases of the results and the knowledge obtained from the projects mentioned in the paper, a Total Site - Cleaner Production - Energy Efficiency - Optimisation approach is proposed which enables gradual research, development and integration of Cleaner production, Energy Auditing and Optimisation combined within novel optimisation methods and its concepts. The main objective of the research was the use of analysis regarding industrial practices when developing a holistic Total Site - Cleaner Production - Energy Efficiency - Optimisation approach for supporting industrial needs during the optimisation of energy demand. This novel approach consists of three phases that include within each one the traditional Total Site Integration, Cleaner Production and Energy Efficiency - Optimization methods with a proposed novel structure for addressing the energy and environmental categories within industry. This novel approach could generate greater efficiency due to combining the different methods and consequently having a higher more positive impact on the environment. The scientific added value is demonstrated through the combination of Total Site, Cleaner Production and Energy Efficiency Optimization approaches as a comprehensive unit and by the proposal of this novel procedure for the implementation of Total Site - Cleaner Production - Energy Efficiency - Optimisation approach.