ABB announced that its Belo manufacturing facility in Contagem, southeast Brazil, has achieved annual energy savings of 530 MWh and a reduction of 160 tons in CO2e emissions.
This milestone follows the implementation of several sustainability initiatives, including the installation of solar panels, solar water heaters, LED lamps and skylights, and frequency inverters.
The facility has also deployed ABB Ability Energy Manager for metering, control, and optimization of energy consumption, the firm said in a news release.
The Belo plant, which began operations in 1975, produces 42,000 poles daily for the manufacturing of NEMA residential circuit breakers.
These miniature circuit breakers are essential for protecting homes from potential risks caused by overcurrent or short circuit events.
The site is part of the ABB Mission to Zero program, which supports the company’s commitment to reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 100 per cent by 2050.
Driven by local teams, the sites focus on improving efficiencies through energy generation, management, and storage using ABB’s innovative technologies and third-party integration.
Building on a CO2e emissions reduction of over 128 tons in 2023 due to green energy purchases, the facility achieved a further reduction of 34 tons through the installation of solar panels, upgraded HVAC equipment, and enhanced frequency inverters on equipment in the moulding and stamping areas.
Energy consumption was reduced by approximately 420 MWh annually by adding energy frequency inverters in two main production areas with high energy use.
The installation of solar panels is estimated to have contributed approximately 220 MWh of on-site generated renewable energy annually.
ABB Ability Energy Manager provides insight data to identify new opportunities to further reduce energy consumption and optimise energy efficiency based on demand at different points and times.
The ongoing implementation of an energy management system according to ISO 50001 will further drive energy-efficiency actions at the site.
“The ABB Mission to Zero approach at Belo is another example of our aim to enable a lower-carbon society and our commitment to accelerate the transition to more sustainable manufacturing while empowering our customers to optimise, electrify and decarbonize their operations,” said Mike Mustapha, president of ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings division.
“Significant reductions in energy consumption and CO2e emissions have been achieved within a year of implementing changes.”
“The highly motivated team at the facility went beyond efficient energy management to ensure that the site delivers zero production waste to landfill by the end of the year,” Mustapha noted.
Looking ahead, the Belo team is targeting further energy savings in 2024 by adding more solar panels to meet 30 percent of the site’s energy demand.
Additionally, plans include installing inverters for compressor and pump machines and replacing existing forklift vehicles with electric ones.
For more information about ABB’s Mission to Zero program, visit ABB Mission to Zero.
