- By:
- Kamath, Dipti D; Nain, Preeti ; Yerneni, Taveisha ; Meyer, Pimphan A; Nimbalkar, Sachin U
- Book Title:
- Proceedings of TAPPICon 2026
- Publication Date:
- June 10, 2026
- Conference Name:
- TAPPICon 2026
- Conference Location:
- Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Conference Sponsor:
- Various
Abstract
This presentation explores how the U.S. pulp and paper sector can prioritize energy efficiency (EE) technologies using the Levelized Cost of Conserved Energy (LCCE) metric. As mills face market shifts and rising costs, technologies such as advanced drying, membrane concentration, waste heat recovery, and recovery boiler replacements offer potential savings but face economic barriers. LCCE enables consistent comparison of technologies by calculating cost per unit of energy saved, including capital, operating, and potentially non-energy benefits like productivity, maintenance, and safety improvements. Preliminary findings show economies of scale significantly influence recovery boiler replacement feasibility, with larger systems achieving lower LCCE values. Ongoing work incorporates non-energy benefits to provide a more comprehensive cost-effectiveness assessment and guide research, development, and deployment priorities for underutilized and emerging technologies.
