22 February 2024 – More than 50 energy professionals from across ASEAN attended the two-day workshop on using RENKEI Control for Energy Audit on February 20 and 21, 2024.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), Waseda University in Japan, and De La Salle University (DLSU) in the Philippines are all part of the ASEAN Real-Time Utility Network Energy Efficiency Using RENKEI (R-TUNE) Consortium. They put together a workshop with the help of Optimal Systems Engineering (OPTIMISE) and the Malaysian Association of Registered Electrical Energy Managers (MAREEM). The workshop aimed to enhance the skills of energy auditors, energy managers, and energy service companies (ESCOs) across ASEAN in the implementation of RENKEI Control technology.
The R-TUNE project is spearheaded by Professor Ir. Ts. Dr. Sharifah Rafidah Wan Alwi, a research fellow at the Process Systems Engineering Centre (UTM-PROSPECT) and is supported by AUN/SEED.net through the Research and Education Consortium Grant (RED-UC).
Professor Sharifah Rafidah Wan Alwi mentioned that R-TUNE has developed an innovative assessment tool to assist industries in analyzing the potential application of RENKEI Control on boilers, turbines, air compressors, and chillers in their facilities. Additionally, the team has created P-Graph models for energy auditors to assess potential energy savings for boilers and turbines when used in conjunction with RENKEI Control analysis.
As an industrial practitioner, an ASEAN-certified energy manager and a Registered Electrical Energy Manager (REEM) under the Malaysia Energy Commission, Prof. Sharifah shared that, “typical energy conservation measures may range from no cost and low-cost measures such as preventive maintenance and simple adjustment of equipment parameters, to high-cost measures such as replacement of older equipment such as pumps, compressors and chillers with more energy-efficient ones”.
According to her, “RENKEI Control is a data-driven energy digitalization tool that enables energy end users to achieve cost-effective real-time energy efficiency and GHG emission reduction. It prioritizes the use of existing higher-efficiency equipment through optimal control, avoiding unnecessary and premature equipment replacement.”
Prof. Sharifah added, “In light of the anticipated Energy Efficiency Conservation Act (EECA), organizations can consider RENKEI Control as one of the high-potential energy-saving and emission reduction measures during an energy audit.”
Her thoughts were largely echoed by the workshop participants, who generally appreciated the new insights they learned from the 4IR-driven technology during the 2-day training:
“This workshop truly opened my eyes to the ways modern technology can aid in assessing and implementing energy-saving measures, particularly for systems like chillers, compressors, boilers, and turbines. It has significantly enhanced my understanding and contributed immensely to my knowledge in this field.”
“Attending the workshop on RENKEI Control Feasibility Analysis During Energy Audits was an incredibly enriching experience. The comprehensive coverage of RENKEI control systems and integration into energy audits provided valuable insights into optimizing energy efficiency in our organization”.
“It is a good opportunity for an existing company/ factory to capitalize on the assessment tools to ensure future operation saving & emission compliance.”