In the Italian manufacturing landscape of 2025, energy efficiency has become an essential strategic priority. Energy-intensive companies face costs that can account for up to 20% of annual turnover in the most intensive sectors such as metallurgy.
In the metalworking sector, steel rolling and processing are among the most energy-intensive processes. Production lines operate with high and highly variable electrical loads, generating continuous stress on the power supply network.
In this context, implementing an energy efficiency system is no longer just a savings opportunity, but a competitive necessity to ensure the economic and environmental sustainability of industrial operations.
For an industrial plant belonging to a leading Italian multinational group, Ortea supplied a 1600kVA Enersolve ESL-10E energy efficiency system with the aim of optimising the supply voltage and improving the overall energy performance of the plant.
WHY ENERGY EFFICIENCY IS A CHALLENGE FOR INDUSTRY
Italian manufacturing companies deal daily with a complex energy reality, characterised by rising costs and increasingly stringent regulations.
THE IMPACT OF ENERGY COSTS ON PRODUCTION
ENEA data for the first half of 2025 highlights a worrying picture: while industrial energy consumption has remained substantially stable, costs have increased significantly. For craft businesses and small retailers, the average electricity price reached 388 €/MWh in the first quarter of 2025, with the energy component accounting for over 50% of the electricity bill.
This increase translates into direct pressure on operating margins, forcing companies to reconsider their energy strategies. The European EED (Energy Efficiency Directive), in its latest revision, imposes more stringent obligations on Member States for energy savings in the 2024-2030 period, requiring large enterprises and energy-intensive SMEs to implement periodic energy audits and efficiency measures.
POWER QUALITY ISSUES: OVERVOLTAGES AND VOLTAGE DIPS
In energy-intensive industrial sectors such as steelworks, power quality problems are a constant criticality. Electric arc furnaces, central elements of steel production, generate:
- Flicker: rapid voltage variations caused by cyclical load oscillations
- Harmonic distortion: introduction of multiple frequencies with respect to the fundamental 50 Hz, which increases losses and damages equipment
- Voltage sags: temporary reductions in voltage during arc ignition or sudden overloads
According to the IEC EN 50160 standard, these parameters must comply with specific values to ensure compatibility with industrial plants, keeping the nominal voltage within ±10% and the frequency at 50 Hz ±1%.
RISKS OF PLANT DOWNTIME AND EQUIPMENT FAULTS
Instability in the electricity supply translates into concrete operational risks: unplanned production stops, failures of electronic machinery and reduced service life of equipment. In energy-intensive sectors, the economic impact can reach 1-3% of annual turnover without adequate corrective actions.
THE ENERSOLVE SOLUTION
The Enersolve range from Ortea Next is designed for industrial applications with high and variable electrical loads, such as metallurgical plants, foundries, rolling mills and large production facilities.
Its main advantages include:
- Optimisation of the supply voltage to reduce consumption and network losses
- Modular and scalable design to adapt to plants of any size
- Advanced and continuous monitoring via integrated MID instruments and the OrteaXCloud platform
- Remote management of operating parameters, including adjustment of the optimum voltage level
Thanks to the combination of robust hardware, intelligent software and cloud control functions, Enersolve delivers tangible and measurable energy savings while improving the reliability of the electrical system.
RELIABLE MEASUREMENT WITH THE ESPRO PROTOCOL
The performance of the Enersolve system is monitored using software based on the ESPRO protocol, which ensures reliable measurement of energy savings.
This methodological approach, combined with the monitoring capabilities offered by OrteaXCloud, allows the benefits obtained to be quantified objectively, providing a verifiable and documentable return on investment.
Find out more about the Enersolve range.
THE ENERGY MANAGER’S CHOICE
The choice of the Enersolve system is the result of a careful technical and economic evaluation conducted by the group’s energy manager, who analysed the main solutions available on the market.
The criteria considered included measurement accuracy, operational flexibility, build quality and integration with continuous digital monitoring platforms.
Enersolve stood out for its reliability, transparency in measuring results and remote management capabilities, factors that led to its selection of its competitors.
EQUIPMENT FEATURES
The equipment installed is a 1600kVA Enersolve ESL-10E, equipped with:
- 2 interlocked 2500A circuit breakers
- Exclusion bypass, to ensure continuity of service in all conditions
- Additional MID measuring instruments for certified energy measurement
- Remote target voltage adjustment via the OrteaXCloud platform
For this project, the Enersolve software was customised by Ortea to allow direct adjustment of the target voltage from the cloud, offering a higher level of control and operational flexibility.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT EFFICIENCY SYSTEM FOR YOUR PLANT
Selecting the most appropriate energy efficiency system requires a methodical approach and consideration of specific technical and economic factors.
LOAD ANALYSIS AND PRELIMINARY ENERGY AUDIT
A preliminary energy audit is the first fundamental step in identifying priority areas for action. The analysis should include the characterisation of load profiles, the identification of energy inefficiencies and the assessment of existing power quality conditions.
Ortea Next conducts in-depth assessments of clients’ plants, analysing historical consumption, equipment usage patterns and process-specific criticalities. This approach makes it possible to size the solution correctly and to accurately estimate the expected benefits.
IMPORTANCE OF SCALABILITY AND CUSTOMISATION
The modular and scalable design of Enersolve allows adaptation to plants of any size, from small industrial installations to large-scale facilities. The possibility of customisation is a decisive competitive advantage, enabling optimisation of the solution in relation to each customer’s operational specificities.
Ortea’s ability to develop tailor-made configurations, including customised software for specific applications, ensures optimal integration with existing systems and maximises the effectiveness of the intervention.
COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATIONS AND INDUSTRY STANDARDS
Compliance with IEC EN 50160 and European energy efficiency standards is ensured through component certification and conformity of measurement protocols.
The fifty-year experience of Ortea in the field of power quality, combined with production entirely “Made in Italy”, ensures high quality standards and specialised technical support throughout the operational life of the system.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
- What is Enersolve and how does it work?
Enersolve is an energy efficiency system developed by OrteaNext to reduce electricity consumption in industrial plants. It operates through the automatic regulation of the supply voltage, keeping it constantly at the optimal level for equipment. This improves the quality of the electricity supply, with immediate benefits in terms of energy savings and operational reliability. - In which industrial applications can Enersolve be installed?
Enersolve is designed for high energy-intensity contexts: steelworks, rolling mills, foundries, metallurgical production plants, paper mills, cement plants, food and textile industries, large HVAC systems and continuous production lines. The technology is suitable for both new and existing plants, without the need for substantial changes to the electrical infrastructure. - How are the energy savings achieved with Enersolve measured?
Savings are certified through the ESPRO protocol, which ensures rigorous and verifiable measurement of energy benefits. Data is displayed in real time on the OrteaXCloud platform, offering detailed and transparent reports on system effectiveness. This approach ensures compliance with national standards for certifying energy savings. - Can Enersolve be managed remotely?
Yes, Enersolve is fully integrated with the OrteaXCloud platform, which allows monitoring of plant status and access to energy data from any location. The system supports remote adjustment of operating parameters, ensuring maximum management flexibility and swift intervention when needed. - What is the payback time for an Enersolve system?
ROI varies according to the specific characteristics of the plant and energy consumption, but typically ranges between 15% and 35% per year, with payback times between 2 and 5 years.
