The Japan-based Asian Productivity Organization (APO) and its Country offices with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) and the India National Productivity Council (NPC) recently conducted a training course on Enhancing Utility Energy Performance in Chennai, India.
The training course regarded energy efficiency as a pathway to sustainable, low-carbon development by looking at policy, energy scenarios and institutional roles in enhancing energy performance across the Asia-Pacific region. It was facilitated by experts from APO, NPC and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); and participated in by delegates from the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Fiji, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Participants from the Philippines included Dr. Sonny Domingo of the òòò½´«Ã½, Engr. Ivan Dalumpines of De La Salle University, and Dir. Norman Camungol of the Production and Operations Management Association of the Philippines.
In-depth exchanges were made on energy sustainability and pathways to sustainable low carbon development; as well as enterprise-level energy performance improvement with discussions on key performance indicators, energy performance assessment and audits. Focus was given to digital evaluation tools for efficiency measurement and verification in thermal and electric utilities. For practical grounding, hands-on exercises were provided on thermal and electrical performance assessment, efficiency data analysis and reporting.
On-the-ground immersion activities was carried out with site visits to the National Productivity Council India (NPC India), and the headquarters of Danfoss Industries Pvt. Ltd and Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd. NPC India hosted facilities on thermal utility technology, while Danfoss and Grundfos represented successful energy utility corporations that have internalized green technology principles. The two corporations exemplify highly profitable businesses that have succeeded in adopting ecological integrity tenets as part of their organizational mission and culture. The three field engagements provided the participants a sense of tangibility in the application of electrical and thermal utilities and appropriate energy efficiency principles.
The week-long course was meticulously planned and efficiently carried out. The first day of training was dedicated to discussions on energy policy, regional landscape, organizational functioning and utility metrics as integral components of the drive toward energy efficiency and sustainable development. The second day looked at measurement and verification, utility perspectives on district level heating and cooling, and performance of electrical utilities. Days three and four were dedicated to onsite visits to NPC India and representative utility corporations that exemplify production efficiency and sustainability compliant operations. The last training day was spent on stocktaking, and group works on enterprise level energy performance, digital tool applications, and data analysis and reporting.
The engagement was apt and informative, and its coverage and substance allowed for a deeper introspection on energy performance and energy efficiency evaluation and improvement. Five days seemed not enough to fully cover the course curriculum, as more time is needed for hands-on exercises. The same component of the training will benefit from additional technical facilitators that can provide competent guidance during both individual and group exercises. Having closer site visits for the receiving country will also lead to more efficient time use.
Learnings from the APO Training Course have important industry and national-level policy applications. An immediate action would be the inclusion of energy performance and efficiency dimensions in ecological integrity policy discourses. This includes appropriate mentioning in applicable research information dissemination platforms, may they be via printed medium or direct articulation in seminars and policy discussions.
As mentioned by one of the facilitators, "energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but it can wasted." Households, enterprises and industries have been inefficiently utilizing this precious resource over the past century. This makes all of us stakeholders in ensuring a sustainable, low carbon and energy secured future.###
