Production companies are increasingly investing in their own energy sources due to economic, environmental and regulatory factors. Rising costs, fluctuations in energy prices and long-term uncertainty about supply reliability are driving them to seek solutions for greater energy independence. By generating electricity from renewable sources, such as solar power plants, and optimizing energy use with energy storage systems and cogeneration systems, pharmaceutical companies can significantly reduce their dependence on the grid, while lowering costs. Additionally, instead of relying on long-term purchase agreements, a substantial portion of electricity is often bought on the day-ahead market. However, in practice, we often observe a lack of coordination between these approaches, which operate independently, leading to inefficient patterns of energy supply and consumption and, consequently, higher costs.
Key challenges in this aspect are:
- Reliable energy consumption forecasting, enabling the identification of opportunities to temporarily adjust non-essential energy-consuming processes,
- Energy supply planning, which currently relies on time-consuming manual scenario calculations that must account for all technical constraints and cost factors,
- Aligning self-generated electricity (e.g., from solar power plants) with actual needs, as energy surpluses are often sold at undervalued or even negative prices.
To help businesses address these challenges, we at Metronik have upgraded our MePIS Energy information system with functionalities for smart energy flow management.
Aligning Energy Production, Consumption and Pricing
This solution forecasts energy consumption while simultaneously integrating all of a company’s energy sources and considering electricity market prices. Based on these inputs, it determines the most cost-effective energy supply scenario, factoring in all technical constraints.
Energy consumption forecasting for optimal planning. Using artificial intelligence, the system predicts next-day energy consumption based on historical data, taking into account:
- Work processes and production schedules,
- Weather conditions and seasonal patterns,
- 12 months of consumption history,
- Typical operating profiles, energy source characteristics and special events.
Optimization of electricity production and supply. In addition to consumption forecasting, the solution also aligns all of a company’s energy sources with dynamic market prices, enabling:
- Collection of energy market prices,
- Optimized energy purchasing, as the AI model identifies the most cost-effective time slots for buying electricity,
- Optimization of energy storage and generation sources (e.g., cogeneration units), which can be more cost-efficient than purchasing electricity from the grid at certain hours.
- Optimized consumption of solar power and energy storage systems.
All these consumption and supply factors are synchronized a day in advance, allowing companies to always utilize the cheapest and most optimal energy source.
Key benefits are:
- Lower energy costs by optimizing both self-generated energy and market-based electricity purchases.
- Greater flexibility and resilience to price fluctuations, as companies can proactively adjust their energy strategies.
- Smart decision-making, with AI analyzing data and proposing optimal operational scenarios.
- Seamless integration of all energy solutions, ensuring that solar power plants, battery systems, cogeneration units and the grid function as a unified system.
- Enhanced sustainability, enabling companies to increase their share of green energy and reduce their carbon footprint.
The Future Lies in Digital Energy Flow Management
Pharmaceutical industry looking to reduce electricity costs, adapt consumption to dynamic market prices and maximize the efficiency of their energy resources must move beyond traditional energy management approaches.
The key factors for integrating all energy sources and achieving energy efficiency are digitalization and artificial intelligence.
By implementing Metronik’s solution, companies can intelligently manage their energy consumption and supply patterns, leading to optimal utilization, lower costs and greater competitiveness.
For more information, please contact Aleš Temeljotov at ales.temeljotov@metronik.si.
