Pharmaceutical manufacturing is an energy-intensive sector, and if you manage a facility, you might be looking for ways to control energy costs. Here, we explore four energy-saving technologies that pharmaceutical facilities can use to reduce energy consumption, cut costs, and increase product quality and efficiency.
Intelligent HVAC Optimization
HVAC systems typically account for the largest portion of a facility’s energy usage because cleanrooms demand precise temperature, humidity, and particulate control.
Basic systems maintain static air change rates regardless of actual conditions. Implementing dynamic control systems allows facilities to adjust air change rates based on real-time data from particle counters, occupancy sensors, pressure monitors, and temperature gauges.
Furthermore, reducing air changes per hour (ACH) during non-production periods—when permitted by risk assessments—conserves substantial amounts of energy. This approach maintains the validated state while reducing fan speeds, cooling loads, reheating requirements, and dehumidification demands.
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Cogeneration offers a practical solution for facilities with consistent baseloads for both electricity and thermal energy. CHP systems generate electricity on-site and capture the waste heat that conventional power plants discard. Pharmaceutical plants can utilize this recovered thermal energy for manufacturing processes, space heating, water heating, and steam generation. Overall, this technology provides energy security and isolates sensitive equipment from grid fluctuations.
Advanced LED Lighting and Smart Controls
Lighting affects facility safety, visibility, productivity, and energy costs, so it’s important to have an effective, efficient system in place. Retrofitting facilities with LED technology provides immediate ROI, and integrating smart controls amplifies these savings.
Many advanced systems utilize daylight harvesting sensors to dim lights when natural light is sufficient. Additionally, occupancy sensors ensure areas like warehouses, packaging halls, corridors, and mechanical spaces remain unlit when vacant. Modern LEDs also emit less heat than fluorescent or HID fixtures, which lowers the cooling load on the HVAC system and creates a compounding energy benefit.
Variable Speed Drive (VSD) Air Compressors
Compressed air can be an expensive utility in pharmaceutical production. Many facilities run compressors at full capacity even when demand fluctuates. Optimizing these units is crucial because driving pneumatic tools for pill manufacturing is just one of the industrial uses for compressed air systems. We rely on this utility to power pneumatic valves, packaging lines, material handling equipment, granulation processes, and more.
VSD compressors adjust the compressor motor speed to match the actual air demand, which minimizes wasted energy. Additionally, implementing an acoustic imaging program to detect and repair leaks prevents the system from working harder than necessary to maintain system pressure.
Adopting these energy-saving technologies is a smart move that pharmaceutical facilities can make to reduce utility costs and improve production in the long term. By focusing on HVAC, power generation, lighting, and compressed air, pharmaceutical producers can build more resilient and efficient operations.
