The project studied a case of a ready-mix concrete company to evaluate the feasibility of converting the electrical consumption to solar PV which encourages the adoption of the technology in heavy industry. We used the DMAIC methodology to address the question “what could be changed to reduce electricity consumption, therefore electricity bill?”.

Data are collected to find how much electricity to cover through the project excluding areas critical to production taking data from company, walkthrough observations and interviews. Key observation is the weather dependency of electricity consumption. To measure the targeted amount of electricity, we used the company’s initial electrical design and calculated the electricity required to produce 1 m³ of ready-mix concrete. The target is 29,594.9144 KWH per month.

Options for improvements were: Replacing the inefficient devices; Enhancing building performance; Avoiding the peak hours; Using automated control systems to eliminate waste and the latest option is the use of renewable energy. We designed a grid-connected solar PV system to support full load.

Prices have been estimated based on the current market. To design a system to cover 29,594.9144 KWH equivalent to 13,672.89 AED, the company need to invest 75,480.00 AED which will break-even in half a year. The maintenance (like cleaning of PV) can be done by the company. The cost of replacement will occur every 25-30 years for PV and every 3-4 years for batteries. This solar PV system design reduces 205,980.6 Kg CO₂e in a year equivalent to 1 month of emissions.