Sims Metal Management – Ellen Abramowitz – 2017

Goals

Sims Metal Management, the largest metal recycler in North America, was looking for innovative energy cost reduction strategies to meet its 2020 Sustainability Goals. Sims enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Ellen Abramowitz to analyze the technical and financial opportunities for battery storage, and consider an initial pilot project in California. In the past, Sims has been approached by different energy storage companies, but has had no way to evaluate their proposals or determine if there was a strong business case for the company.

Solutions

Starting out, Ellen performed a market analysis of the technologies and players in the battery storage industry. She then conducted an analysis of Sims’ energy use data to identify the sites best suited for the technology. Armed with this information, Ellen contacted and solicited proposals from five leading distributed energy storage service providers. Though they were all able to come up with favorable options for Sims, it was necessary to determine which proposal would be the best path forward for Sims. Beyond a financial assessment, she identified companies that are experienced with systems of similar size and in similar industrial applications.

Potential Impact

Over a ten-year term, Sims can reduce their peak demand costs between $1.2-$2 million dollars, with up to an additional $100,000 in demand response revenue. Abramowitz’s suggestions put Sims further on track to achieve its deep commitment to sustainability.