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Evaluating Energy-Aware Manufacturing Schedules under Real-Time Pricing: Economic and Environmental Impacts

Abstract

Manufacturers face volatile electricity prices and increasing pressure to reduce environmental impacts, but the value of flexibility depends on production constraints and local energy system conditions. This paper proposes an integrated framework that links optimization-based production scheduling with techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA). A mixed-integer quadratically constrained programming (MIQCP) scheduling model under real-time pricing generates hourly 7-day plans for an electronics manufacturer with fixed shift structures, standby modes, and labor costs. The resulting load profiles are coupled to an energy system model to evaluate grid exchange with on-site PV and an optional battery storage system. Results show that total costs are dominated by operationrelated costs, especially labor, while energy costs remain comparatively small. Accordingly, optimized scheduling yields the most favorable economic performance, whereas the battery case improves relative to the baseline but remains slightly less favorable due to additional investment and operating costs. LCA results indicate consistent environmental improvements for the optimized case without battery storage, while the battery case shows mixed results and remains close to the baseline.

Category

Academic chapter

Language

English

Author(s)

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Industry / Sustainable Energy Technology
  • Fachhochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen - Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft

Year

2026

Publisher

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

Book

2026 22nd International Conference on the European Energy Market - EEM

ISBN

9798319535542

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository