Simplifying the process of identifying viable industrial energy efficiency incentives

Abstract

South Africa is considered an energy intensive country. To mitigate this, incentives have been made available to encourage the uptake of energy efficiency initiatives. The industrial sector presents several opportunities for these incentives. However, the diversity and complexity of the available options presents a significant challenge when investigating potential incentives. This paper therefore devises a method to aid the industrial sector in identifying and selecting viable incentives. A brief overview of the extensive research conducted is presented to introduce the reader to the applicable industrial incentives. The findings are then summarised, simplified and used to develop a set of defining questions. These questions characterise the incentives into different groups. These groups are then used to formulate a process to determine an applicable energy strategy. The process is then graphically illustrated with the use of a process diagram. This simplified illustration of the research outcome enables other users to quickly identity viable incentive opportunities. The developed process is also validated with case studies from three major industrial sectors: mining, steel and manufacturing.