Papers by Maria Johansson
Energy Efficiency, Nov 22, 2023
This study aims to provide insights into the factors shaping electricity demand in Swedish indust... more This study aims to provide insights into the factors shaping electricity demand in Swedish industrial sectors using the nonlinear version of the autoregressive distributed lag model (NARDL). This approach captures the complex short-and long-run relationships between uncertainty and electric power use in Swedish industrial sectors. The results reveal sector-specific responses to uncertainties and asymmetries in electricity use patterns. By examining the entire industrial sector in Sweden, this approach uncovers underlying issues and hidden patterns, while also providing insights into the functioning and behaviour of industrial systems. The rapid electrification and new green industrialisation initiatives in Sweden, coupled with the integration of a circular economy, underscore the importance of understanding the dynamics of electricity use in the face of uncertain shocks. This knowledge is vital for ensuring, amongst other things, grid stability, mitigating the need for costly peaking capacity, and identifying potential challenges in the interconnection of energy and material circular flows.
Energy Efficiency, Feb 17, 2016
Effects on global CO2 emissions when substituting LPG with bio-SNG as fuel in steel industry rehe... more Effects on global CO2 emissions when substituting LPG with bio-SNG as fuel in steel industry reheating furnaces: The impact of different perspectives on CO2 assessment, 2016, Energy Efficiency.
Energy Efficiency, Jun 22, 2013
Awareness of climate change and the threat of rising energy prices have resulted in increased att... more Awareness of climate change and the threat of rising energy prices have resulted in increased attention being paid to energy issues, and industry seeing a cost benefit in using more energyefficient production processes. One energy-efficient measure is the recovery of industrial excess heat. However, this option has not been fully investigated and some of the technologies for recovery of excess heat are not yet commercially available. This paper proposes three technologies for the generation of electricity from low temperature industrial excess heat. The technologies are thermoelectric generation, organic Rankine cycle and phase change material engine system. The technologies are evaluated in relation to each other, with regard to temperature range of the heat source, conversion efficiency, capacity and economy. Because the technologies use heat of different temperature ranges, there is potential for concurrent implementation of two or more of these technologies. Even if the conversion efficiency of a technology is low, it could be worthwhile to utilise if there is no other use for the excess heat. The iron and steel industry is energy intensive and its production processes are often conducted at high temperatures. As a consequence large amounts of excess heat are generated. The potential electricity production from low temperature excess heat at a steel plant was calculated together with the corresponding reduction in global CO 2 emissions.
Sustainability, 2019
A large share of the energy efficiency improvement measures available for industrial companies re... more A large share of the energy efficiency improvement measures available for industrial companies remains unadopted due to the existence of various barriers to energy efficiency. One of the main means of overcoming barriers to energy efficiency is via energy management operations. The major parts of the published scientific papers have covered energy management on a company level or on a sector level. However, so far, the literature is scarce regarding empirical studies on energy management on a corporate level. With the aim of filling the research gap, the aim of this paper is to empirically assess the performance of an in-house energy management program adoption from the year of initiation and four years ahead in the multinational company Volvo CE. The paper was conducted as a case study including a participative approach, which has not previously been done in energy management research. This paper adds value, through complementing the existing literature on energy management on a fa...
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2021
Energy Efficiency, 2020
Primary aluminium production is energy- and GHG-intensive in which electrolysis is by far the mos... more Primary aluminium production is energy- and GHG-intensive in which electrolysis is by far the most energy- and GHG-intensive process. This paper’s aim is to study the effects on (1) primary energy use, (2) GHG emissions and (3) energy and CO2 costs when energy end-use efficiency measures are implemented in the electrolysis. Significant savings in final and primary energy use, GHG emissions and energy and CO2 costs can be achieved by implementing the studied measures. Vertical electrode cells and the combination of inert anodes and wettable cathodes are among the measures with the highest savings in all three areas (primary energy use, GHG emissions and energy and CO2 costs). Direct carbothermic reduction is one of the measures with the highest savings in primary energy use and energy and CO2 costs. For GHG emissions, direct carbothermic reduction is the more beneficial choice in regions with a high proportion of coal power, while inert anodes are the more beneficial choice in region...
Energies, 2017
Biogas production through anaerobic digestion may play an important role in a circular economy be... more Biogas production through anaerobic digestion may play an important role in a circular economy because of the opportunity to produce a renewable fuel from organic waste. However, the production of biogas may require energy in the form of heat and electricity. Therefore, resource-effective biogas production must consider both biological and energy performance. For the individual biogas plant to improve its energy performance, a robust methodology to analyse and evaluate the energy demand on a detailed level is needed. Moreover, to compare the energy performance of different biogas plants, a methodology with a consistent terminology, system boundary and procedure is vital. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology for analysing the energy demand in biogas plants on a detailed level. In the methodology, the energy carriers are allocated to: (1) sub-processes (e.g., pretreatment, anaerobic digestion, gas cleaning), (2) unit processes (e.g., heating, mixing, pumping, lighting) and (3) a combination of these. For a thorough energy analysis, a combination of allocations is recommended. The methodology was validated by applying it to two different biogas plants. The results show that the methodology is applicable to biogas plants with different configurations of their production system.
Sustainability, 2019
Industrial energy efficiency is important for reducing CO2 emissions and could be a competitive a... more Industrial energy efficiency is important for reducing CO2 emissions and could be a competitive advantage for companies because it can reduce costs. However, cost-effective energy efficiency measures are not always implemented because there are barriers inhibiting their implementation. Drivers for energy efficiency could provide means for overcoming these barriers. The aim of this article was to study the importance of different barriers to and drivers for improved energy efficiency in the Swedish aluminium industry and foundries that cast aluminium. Additionally, the perceived usefulness of different information sources on energy efficiency measures was studied. The data were collected through a questionnaire covering 39 barriers and 48 drivers, divided into different categories. Both the aluminium and foundry industries considered technological and economic barriers as the most important categories. The most important category of drivers for the aluminium industry was organisation...
Energies, 2019
Improved energy efficiency in supply chains can reduce both environmental impact and lifecycle co... more Improved energy efficiency in supply chains can reduce both environmental impact and lifecycle costs, and thus becomes a competitive advantage in the work towards a sustainable global economy. Viewing the supply chain as a system provides the holistic perspective needed to avoid sub-optimal energy use. This article studies measures relating to technology and management that can increase energy efficiency in the supply chains of five aluminium products made in Sweden. Additionally, energy efficiency potentials related to the flows of material, energy, and knowledge between the actors in the supply chains are studied. Empirical data was collected using focus group interviews and one focus group per product was completed. The results show that there are several areas for potential energy efficiency improvement; for example, product design, communication and collaboration, transportation, and reduced material waste. Demands from other actors that can have direct or indirect effects on e...
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2018
The aluminium industry is facing a challenge in meeting the goal of halved greenhouse gas emissio... more The aluminium industry is facing a challenge in meeting the goal of halved greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while the demand for aluminium is estimated to increase 2-3 times by the same year. Energy efficiency will play an important part in achieving the goal. The paper's aim was to investigate possible production-related energy efficiency measures in the aluminium industry. Mining of bauxite and production of alumina from bauxite are not included in the study. In total, 52 measures were identified through a literature review. Electrolysis in primary aluminium production, recycling and general measures constituted the majority of the 52 measures. This can be explained by the high energy intensity of electrolysis, the relatively wide applicability of the general measures and the fact that all aluminium passes through either electrolysis or recycling. Electrolysis shows a higher number of emerging/novel measures compared to the other processes, which can also be explained by its high energy intensity. Processing aluminium with extrusion, rolling, casting (shape-casting and casting of ingots, slabs and billets), heat treatment and anodising will also benefit from energy efficiency. However, these processes showed relatively fewer measures, which might be explained by the fact that to some extent, these processes are not as energy demanding compared, for example, to electrolysis. In many cases, the presented measures can be combined, which implies that the best practice should be to combine the measures. There may also be a future prospect of achieving carbon-neutral and coal-independent electrolysis. Secondary aluminium production will be increasingly important for meeting the increasing demand for aluminium with respect to environmental and economic concerns and strengthened competitiveness. Focusing on increased production capacity, recovery yields and energy efficiency in secondary production will be pivotal. Further research and development will be required for those measures designated as novel or emerging.
Energy Efficiency, 2016
Effects on global CO2 emissions when substituting LPG with bio-SNG as fuel in steel industry rehe... more Effects on global CO2 emissions when substituting LPG with bio-SNG as fuel in steel industry reheating furnaces: The impact of different perspectives on CO2 assessment, 2016, Energy Efficiency.
Energy Efficiency, 2014
The iron and steel industry is an energy-intensive industry that consumes a significant portion o... more The iron and steel industry is an energy-intensive industry that consumes a significant portion of fossil fuel and electricity production. Climate change, the threat of an unsecure energy supply, and rising energy prices have emphasized the issue of improved energy efficiency in the iron and steel industry. However, an energy efficiency gap is well recognised, i.e. cost efficient measures are not implemented in practice. This study will go deeper into why this gap occurs by investigating energy management practices at 11 iron and steel companies in Sweden. Energy managers at the steel plants were interviewed about how they perceived their own and their companies' efforts to improve energy efficiency and how networking among energy managers influenced the efforts to improve energy efficiency. Reported barriers to improved energy efficiency were, for example, too long payback period, lack of profitability, lack of personnel, risk of production disruption, lack of time, and lack of commitment. Only three out of the eleven companies had assigned a person to work full time with energy management, and some of the energy managers were frustrated with not having enough time to work with energy issues. Generally, the respondents felt that they had support from senior management and that energy issues were prioritised, but only a few of the companies had made great efforts to involve employees in improving energy efficiency. Networking among Swedish steel companies was administered by the Swedish Steel Producers' Association, and their networking meetings contributed to the exchange of knowledge and ideas. In conclusion, Swedish steel companies regard improved energy efficiency as important but have much work left to do in this area. For example, vast amounts of excess heat are not being recovered and more efforts could be put into engaging employees and introducing a culture of energy efficiency.
Energy, 2013
Climate change is of great concern for society today. Manufacturing industries and construction a... more Climate change is of great concern for society today. Manufacturing industries and construction account for approximately 20% of global CO 2 emissions and, consequently, it is important that this sector investigate options to reduce its CO 2 emissions. One option could be to substitute fossil fuels with renewable alternatives. This paper describes a case study in which four future energy market scenarios predicting 2030 were used to analyse whether it would be profitable for a steel plant to produce bio-synthetic natural gas (bio-SNG) in a biomass gasifier and to substitute liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) with bio-SNG as fuel in reheating furnaces. The effects on global CO 2 emissions were analysed from a perspective in which biomass is considered a limited resource. The results from the analysis show that investment in a biomass gasifier and fuel conversion would not be profitable in any of the scenarios. Depending on the scenario, the production cost for bio-SNG ranged between 22-36 EUR/GJ. Fuel substitution would reduce global CO 2 emission if the marginal biomass user is a producer of transportation fuel. However, if the marginal user of biomass is a coal power plant with wood co-firing, the result would be increased global CO 2 emissions.
WEENTECH Proceedings in Energy, 2019
The Paris Agreement includes the goals of ‘holding the increase in the global average temperature... more The Paris Agreement includes the goals of ‘holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels’ and ‘making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions’. Industrial energy efficiency will play an important role in meeting those goals as well as becoming a competitive advantage due to reduced costs for companies. The aluminium industry is energy intensive and uses fossil fuels both for energy purposes and as reaction material. Additionally, the aluminium industry uses significant amounts of electricity. The electrolysis process in the primary production of aluminium is the most energy- and carbon-intensive process within the aluminium industry. The aim of this paper is to study the effects on primary energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and costs when three energy efficiency measures are implemented in the electrolysis process. The effects on the primary energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and costs ar...
Energy Efficiency, 2020
Primary aluminium production is energy- and GHG-intensive in which electrolysis is by far the mos... more Primary aluminium production is energy- and GHG-intensive in which electrolysis is by far the most energy- and GHG-intensive process. This paper’s aim is to study the effects on (1) primary energy use, (2) GHG emissions and (3) energy and CO2 costs when energy end-use efficiency measures are implemented in the electrolysis. Significant savings in final and primary energy use, GHG emissions and energy and CO2 costs can be achieved by implementing the studied measures. Vertical electrode cells and the combination of inert anodes and wettable cathodes are among the measures with the highest savings in all three areas (primary energy use, GHG emissions and energy and CO2 costs). Direct carbothermic reduction is one of the measures with the highest savings in primary energy use and energy and CO2 costs. For GHG emissions, direct carbothermic reduction is the more beneficial choice in regions with a high proportion of coal power, while inert anodes are the more beneficial choice in regions with a high proportion of low-carbon electricity. Although a company potentially can save more money by implementing the direct carbothermic reduction, the company should consider implementing the vertical electrode cells together with other energy-saving technologies since this would yield the largest GHG emission savings while providing similar cost savings as the direct carbothermic reduction. It may be necessary to impose a price on GHG emissions in order to make inert anodes cost-effective on their own, although further evaluations are needed in this regard. There is a potential to achieve carbon-neutrality in the reduction of aluminium oxide to pure aluminium.
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Papers by Maria Johansson