Industrial energy efficiency is globally recognized as an element of utmost importance in the struggle for consumption reduction, sustainability and decarbonization of the sector. Nevertheless, the adoption rate of interventions aiming at improving its levels, namely energy efficiency measures, is still low compared to the potential target, leading to the phenomenon known as energy efficiency gap. In addition to economic and profitability barriers, past literature identified barriers of other natures, e.g., competition for internal resources or organizational barriers, with the lion’s share played by barriers related to the lack of information over the adoption of energy efficiency measures. In fact, key factors other than the techno-economic ones might play a role in decision-making – acting as barriers or enablers for the adoption –, and the lack of comprehension of these factors could represent in itself a strong barrier hindering the energy efficiency of industry. Nonetheless, these factors, their interrelationships and the influence they exert on the adoption of an energy efficiency measure have been scarcely assessed in the literature and an exhaustive analysis is still lacking. Building on this literature gap, the thesis – which consists of a collection of five papers – aims at fostering the energy efficiency of an industrial manufacturing company by providing decision-makers with the required knowledge to holistically assess the adoption of an energy efficiency measure. The suggested holistic assessment approach should go beyond a simple techno-economic analysis covering all the key factors that might affect the decision- making outcome, from the technical ones to the operational-related ones, passing by the description of the wider context of adoption. In particular, the assessment is developed along three main dimensions of analysis. Factors referring to the characterization of energy efficiency measures (namely energy efficiency measures characteristics) have been identified as an effective way to discriminate the heterogeneous sample of industrial energy efficiency measures according to key criteria. On the other hand, the impacts on a company’s resources generated by the efficiency investments once installed in an industrial plant have been identified through the development of a set of metrics, to effectively allow for their consideration in decision-making. In addition, light is shed on the third dimension of analysis, i.e., the context of adoption, which might strongly affect the decision-making outcome by influencing both the energy efficiency measures characteristics and their multiple impacts. Results show how all these three dimensions, and the mutual relationships they conceive, should be factored in for sound decision-making over the adoption of an industrial energy efficiency measure. The research would contribute to the academic discussion about energy efficiency measures and their low adoption rate, providing a different lens through which to observe and explain the phenomenon of the energy efficiency gap. Furthermore, the new and holistic assessment approach suggested in the thesis could represent valid support for company managers and owners, i.e., industrial decision-makers, particularly required in the case of small and medium manufacturing enterprises, despite the thesis does not target a specific company size. Providing more transparency to the adoption process, the research could also strengthen the relationships between the heterogeneous stakeholders partaking in the energy efficiency supply chain (e.g., service and technology providers, industry associations, financial institutions), better supporting the adoption of EEMs. Policymakers could eventually grasp interesting insights for the design of more efficient and effective policies directed toward the improvement of industrial energy efficiency.
L'efficienza energetica industriale è riconosciuta a livello globale come un elemento di estrema importanza nella lotta per la riduzione dei consumi, la sostenibilità e la decarbonizzazione del settore. Tuttavia, il tasso di adozione degli interventi volti a migliorarne i livelli, ossia gli interventi di efficienza energetica, risulta ancora limitato rispetto al potenziale raggiungibile, fenomeno noto come energy efficiency gap. Oltre alle barriere economiche e di profittabilità, la letteratura passata ha identificato barriere di altra natura, quali ad esempio la competizione per le risorse interne o barriere di natura organizzative, con particolare criticità relativa alle barriere legate alla mancanza di informazioni sull'adozione di interventi di efficienza energetica. In effetti, fattori chiave diversi da quelli tecno-economici potrebbero giocare un ruolo nel processo decisionale - agendo come barriere o fattori abilitanti per l'adozione - e la mancanza di comprensione di questi fattori potrebbe rappresentare di per sé una forte barriera che ostacola l'efficienza energetica dell'industria. Tuttavia, questi fattori, le loro interrelazioni e l'influenza che esercitano sull'adozione di un intervento di efficienza energetica sono stati scarsamente valutati in letteratura. Partendo da questa lacuna, la tesi - che consiste in una raccolta di cinque articoli - mira a promuovere l'efficienza energetica di un'azienda manifatturiera industriale, fornendo ai decisori le conoscenze necessarie per valutare in modo olistico l'adozione di un intervento di efficienza energetica. L'approccio di valutazione olistica suggerito dovrebbe andare oltre la semplice analisi tecnico-economica, coprendo tutti i fattori chiave che potrebbero influenzare il risultato decisionale, da quelli tecnici a quelli operativi, passando per la descrizione del contesto più ampio di adozione. In particolare, la valutazione si sviluppa lungo tre principali dimensioni di analisi. I fattori che si riferiscono alla caratterizzazione degli interventi di efficienza energetica (ovvero le caratteristiche degli interventi di efficienza energetica) sono stati identificati per discriminare il campione eterogeneo di interventi di efficienza energetica industriale in base a criteri chiave. D'altra parte, gli impatti sulle risorse di un'azienda generati dagli investimenti in efficienza energetica una volta installati in un impianto industriale sono stati identificati attraverso lo sviluppo di una serie di metriche, per consentirne la considerazione all’interno del processo decisionale. Inoltre, viene fatta luce sulla terza dimensione dell'analisi, ossia il più largo contesto di adozione, che potrebbe influire fortemente sul risultato decisionale, influenzando sia le caratteristiche degli interventi di efficienza energetica sia i loro molteplici impatti. I risultati mostrano come tutte e tre le dimensioni, e le relazioni reciproche che tra esse si sviluppano, debbano essere prese in considerazione per un solido processo decisionale sull'adozione di un intervento di efficienza energetica industriale. La ricerca contribuisce al dibattito accademico sul basso tasso di adozione degli interventi di efficienza energetica, fornendo una lente diversa attraverso cui osservare e spiegare il fenomeno dell’energy efficiency gap. Inoltre, il nuovo approccio di valutazione olistico suggerito nella tesi potrebbe rappresentare un valido supporto per i manager e i proprietari delle aziende, cioè per i decisori industriali, particolarmente necessario nel caso delle piccole e medie imprese manifatturiere, nonostante la tesi non si rivolga a una dimensione aziendale specifica. Fornendo maggiore trasparenza al processo di adozione, la ricerca potrebbe anche rafforzare le relazioni tra gli eterogenei stakeholder che partecipano alla filiera dell'efficienza energetica (ad esempio, fornitori di servizi e tecnologie, associazioni di categoria, istituzioni finanziarie), supportando meglio l'adozione delle EEM. I responsabili politici potrebbero infine cogliere spunti interessanti per la progettazione di politiche più efficienti ed efficaci volte al miglioramento dell'efficienza energetica industriale.
Assessing the adoption of industrial energy efficiency measures : a study to foster the adoption of industrial energy efficiency measures through their holistic assessment from the perspective of the industrial decision-maker.
Accordini, Davide
2022/2023
Abstract
Industrial energy efficiency is globally recognized as an element of utmost importance in the struggle for consumption reduction, sustainability and decarbonization of the sector. Nevertheless, the adoption rate of interventions aiming at improving its levels, namely energy efficiency measures, is still low compared to the potential target, leading to the phenomenon known as energy efficiency gap. In addition to economic and profitability barriers, past literature identified barriers of other natures, e.g., competition for internal resources or organizational barriers, with the lion’s share played by barriers related to the lack of information over the adoption of energy efficiency measures. In fact, key factors other than the techno-economic ones might play a role in decision-making – acting as barriers or enablers for the adoption –, and the lack of comprehension of these factors could represent in itself a strong barrier hindering the energy efficiency of industry. Nonetheless, these factors, their interrelationships and the influence they exert on the adoption of an energy efficiency measure have been scarcely assessed in the literature and an exhaustive analysis is still lacking. Building on this literature gap, the thesis – which consists of a collection of five papers – aims at fostering the energy efficiency of an industrial manufacturing company by providing decision-makers with the required knowledge to holistically assess the adoption of an energy efficiency measure. The suggested holistic assessment approach should go beyond a simple techno-economic analysis covering all the key factors that might affect the decision- making outcome, from the technical ones to the operational-related ones, passing by the description of the wider context of adoption. In particular, the assessment is developed along three main dimensions of analysis. Factors referring to the characterization of energy efficiency measures (namely energy efficiency measures characteristics) have been identified as an effective way to discriminate the heterogeneous sample of industrial energy efficiency measures according to key criteria. On the other hand, the impacts on a company’s resources generated by the efficiency investments once installed in an industrial plant have been identified through the development of a set of metrics, to effectively allow for their consideration in decision-making. In addition, light is shed on the third dimension of analysis, i.e., the context of adoption, which might strongly affect the decision-making outcome by influencing both the energy efficiency measures characteristics and their multiple impacts. Results show how all these three dimensions, and the mutual relationships they conceive, should be factored in for sound decision-making over the adoption of an industrial energy efficiency measure. The research would contribute to the academic discussion about energy efficiency measures and their low adoption rate, providing a different lens through which to observe and explain the phenomenon of the energy efficiency gap. Furthermore, the new and holistic assessment approach suggested in the thesis could represent valid support for company managers and owners, i.e., industrial decision-makers, particularly required in the case of small and medium manufacturing enterprises, despite the thesis does not target a specific company size. Providing more transparency to the adoption process, the research could also strengthen the relationships between the heterogeneous stakeholders partaking in the energy efficiency supply chain (e.g., service and technology providers, industry associations, financial institutions), better supporting the adoption of EEMs. Policymakers could eventually grasp interesting insights for the design of more efficient and effective policies directed toward the improvement of industrial energy efficiency.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/195908