A comprehensive energy management system (EMS) was implemented by 71 textile units who came together for this initiative, coordinated by the Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF). The EMS helps monitor energy consumption of every machine round the clock. With this initiative ITF’s aim was to continuously evaluate the machine health and operating practices via the hardware and software installed as part of the EMS.

Karthik Durai, Executive Member, ITF and the coordinator of EMS implementation opines that EMS is unique, in that, it ensures that every machine in these 71 units is fitted with a metre. This metre is capable of reading various parameters such as voltage, current, load consumed and other power factors and the data generated is sent to a common server in the unit to monitor using a software programme.

In the usual energy audits that are occasional, they analyse the total energy consumed with respect to what is required. However, this conventional method can’t find the micro-level defects that are the cause for energy losses. Thus, the new method would not only help the units identify the defects and aspects in individual machines that lead to energy losses, but also the units can adopt corrective measures accordingly. Besides, the ITF has also placed orders for the metres and software solutions that form the EMS with two companies in Chennai and Bangalore. The ITF, instead of just buying products from what these two manufacturers could offer, has based the orders on the monitoring requirements of units.

Karthik added that about 10 per cent energy could be saved by the textile units when the EMS becomes operational, as there’s a round-the-clock monitoring facility.