Reducing energy consumption in the sawmilling industry

Background and Objective

Important barriers for energy savings in the European sawmilling industry are the lack of infrastructure in form of energy management systems and the poor profitability of selling surplus energy products, such as bark and chips. More barriers result from lack of knowledge about optimal utilization of the energy input factors, and low awareness about the reduction potential. Although there are large energy savings potentials in the sawmilling industry, a coordinated action is deemed necessary for reaping these savings and explaining  what efforts have to be taken to achieve them.

Approach

The targets will be achieved by several parallel actions. Firstly, tools for the sawmill industry are developed to facilitate the implementation of energy management systems in the companies. Best practice examples are presented to the sawmills. By means of a benchmarking tool, the companies can compare their energy consumption with other similar sawmills. In addition, strategies to achieve the 2020 targets will be developed and the results made available to the stakeholders.

Our Research Questions

How can energy consumption of the sawmilling industry be reduced?

Links and Downloads

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