AI Upgrade to ABB Energy Management System Optimizes Industrial Energy Efficiency

June 11, 2024

• ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX^® 6.4 upgrade features AI module for improved forecasting and coordinated control of multiple assets at industrial sites and hybrid power plants
• The digital energy management and optimization system unlocks industrial efficiencies across multiple sectors and energy vectors to reduce costs and emissions for complex systems
• Easy-to-install modularized system enables channel partner sales and automated and semi-automated software updates and upgrades

ABB launches ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX^® 6.4, the latest version of its flagship digital energy management and optimization system, to provide coordinated control of multiple industrial assets and processes, for improved energy efficiency, to reduce emissions and support decarbonization.

The performance and usability upgrades to OPTIMAX include an AI module for improved forecasting of load demand, energy generation and energy pricing without manual interaction. This significantly reduces day-ahead and intra-day nomination errors when feeding energy to the grid, which helps avoid rising penalty payments for operators.

“At ABB, we believe that the greenest energy is the energy you don’t use, so driving efficiencies across the entire energy value chain is key,” said Dr Sleman Saliba, Global Product Manager Energy Management and Optimization at ABB Energy Industries. “OPTIMAX has been upgraded to incorporate the newest technology and address the latest market opportunities, enabling the acceleration of industrial decarbonization to help preserve resources, as well as sector coupling to replace the use of fossil fuels across energy systems and industrial sectors.”

Combining digital technologies with modular solutions, presented in a simplified user interface, it delivers an updated optimization environment for solving the energy management challenges facing industrial enterprises and energy providers. In a complex steam and power plant in Germany, OPTIMAX led to an additional 1.5 percent reduction in energy costs in the first six months, enabling a ROI within one year for the customer¹.

With industry currently accounting for around a quarter of global energy-related CO2 emissions², ABB is constantly expanding the markets that OPTIMAX serves to accelerate industrial decarbonization. It currently helps operators across sectors including steam and power, green hydrogen, power-to-x, carbon capture and storage (CCS), wastewater treatment, e-mobility and district heating and cooling to improve energy efficiency by strategically directing energy flows and assets.

Modularized for easy installation, each component can be ordered separately and the modular platform enables automated and semi-automated updates and upgrades. For the first time, ABB’s Channel Partner network will also be able to distribute OPTIMAX 6.4 due to enhancements in usability and code-free configuration.

Combined with power process management, advanced process control and digital twin technology, ABB offers solutions across the entire value chain from FEED through to operations and service for industries including power generation, oil and gas, chemicals and hydrogen.

ABB’s Process Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs – from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~20,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, ABB Process Automation helps customers in process, hybrid and maritime industries improve performance and safety of operations, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. go.abb/processautomation

ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. The company’s solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered and operated. Building on over 140 years of excellence, ABB’s more than 105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation. www.abb.com

_{¹ https://new.abb.com/news/de/detail/114077/industriekraftwerk-der-zukunft
² https://www.iea.org/energy-system/industry}

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