According to a report by the World Economic Forum, upstream food loss and downstream waste amount to roughly US$700-billion in industrialised countries. Furthermore, McKinsey & Company found that operational efficiency gaps for pharmaceutical manufacturers amount to a value of at least $65-billion.

It is safe to say that continuous and reliable power supply plays a critical role in operational efficiency and particularly to those consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies that operate in sensitive manufacturing environments.

Unfortunately, realities like load shedding, grid instability and unpredictable weather patterns – brought on by the El Niño and La Niña cycles – pose a very real threat to continuous operations, product quality and meeting compliance standards. This, coupled with the rising cost of traditional grid-supplied energy, impacts operational costs driving overheads to unprofitable points.

In environments like pharmaceutical and biotechnology, operations today are governed by strict clinical standards that include maintaining precise temperature, air quality and controlling humidity.

A momentary power interruption can be catastrophic, compromising product integrity, halting production lines and leading to significant financial losses. In some cases, production lines can take weeks to resume operations due to the nature of the goods they manufacturer.

CPG companies must ensure continuous power supply, and this is where microgrids offer a very real and sustainable solution. Indeed, they are an intelligent energy ecosystem built for resilience and efficiency.

Understanding the load

In any manufacturing environment, it’s important to first conduct a comprehensive needs analysis. This process, for example, identifies critical versus non-essential loads, available physical space for infrastructure like photovoltaic (PV) installations, and operational constraints and determining the uptime required during unavailability of energy resources.

Furthermore, space constrains need to be considered – CPG environments are often designed with operations and resultant equipment in mind and don’t necessarily consider the physical footprint required to house massive backup energy infrastructure.

Here, a key innovation is containerised battery energy storage systems (Bess). These compact, scalable units are engineered for industrial environments where floor space is at a premium and uptime is paramount.

Microgrids at work

In modern microgrid design, renewable energy sources like solar and wind are optimised with battery storage, while the traditional grid often serves as a backup or secondary source. This transition supports sustainability goals and improves operational continuity while, importantly, saving on traditional energy costs.

In the case of critical CPG sectors like life sciences, energy storage systems are coupled with uninterruptible power supplies to bridge the gap between power outages and system stability. The energy storage systems provides immediate backup power, preventing sudden shutdowns and thus allowing production to continue seamlessly until alternative power sources take over; while a UPS provides the stability when a surge or spike occurs, which it absorbs, preventing this excess energy from reaching the devices.

Built-in intelligence

What sets advanced microgrid solutions apart is intelligence. Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Microgrid Advisor (EMA), for example, uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide predictive, real-time energy optimisation.

By using data from weather forecasts, grid status and plant conditions, the microgrid system can pre-emptively adjust loads such as cooling a building in advance of cloud cover to minimise HVAC use during solar dips.

This intelligent integration across energy sources (solar, battery, generator set and grid) ensures maximum efficiency and cost savings. It also aligns with global energy trends, such as time-of-use tariffs, by drawing power from the most cost-effective source at any given moment.

Beyond power management

The above has clearly demonstrated the importance of using a sophisticated microgrid solutions when managing CPG power supply. Here Schneider Electric’s value proposition delivers:

Power management: Ensuring stable supply to the microgrid by synchronising the energy production sources, loads and energy storage systems based on the energy requirement.
Energy management: Monitoring and optimising energy consumption through a software based control system.
Building management: Controlling HVAC, lighting and other systems to further reduce consumption.

Schneider Electric is actively working with local CPG providers to offer advanced power, energy and building management using our microgrid solutions that meet the rigorous standards set by these unique environments. We aim to offer intelligent solutions that deliver uptime, reduce emissions and optimise every kilowatt. Our solution efficiently and proactively manages microgrid power production and demand to prioritise renewable energy.

The author, Nishandra Baijnath, is systems architect, Power Systems, anglophone Africa, Schneider Electric
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