No question about it, sugar plants consume vast amounts of electricity, and with a lot of aging equipment, there’s no doubt that several motors and the mechanical systems they drive are probably consuming more power than they should—due to worn bearings and a general lack of maintenance. In many instances, motors are probably not using variable speed drives, and large inrush currents place a big demand on electrical utilities.

Let’s take a closer look at the areas of manufacturing that are prone to food waste, and how they can be optimized to help tackle the issue.

Food and beverage plants have a complicated energy infrastructure that can be more costly than it needs to be. In fact, many industrial plants are not taking advantage of the solutions available to reduce energy spending and streamline plant operations. To improve energy management in a food and beverage plant, plant managers and staff need to understand the process context of energy to determine what solutions to implement for greater efficiency.

After two years of its five-year initiative to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Crown Holdings has exceeded one of its two targeted 2020 sustainability goals. In 2016, the packaging company announced plans to reduce energy consumption by 5 percent per billion standard units of production from 2015 levels by the end of 2020.

Enel X has signed an agreement with Ontario-based food packaging company Amhil North America for the installation and operation of a 2.34 MW/4.7 MWh lithium-ion, behind-the-meter energy storage system.