Making Pharmaceutical Industry Greener With Solar Energy
The pharmaceutical sector in India is one of the largest producers and exporters of multiple generic medicines in the world. Over the years, the sector has seen consistent expansion and is a substantial contributor to the country’s economy.
Overview of Highly Sensitive Manufacturing Processes
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a highly sensitive process that involves a high degree of precisely controlled steps. Daily operations require exorbitant electricity usage. It also needs the power to maintain key production settings in terms of temperature, humidity, room pressurisation, etc. Unlike many other industries, most pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities consume the majority of its energy during its highly automated production processes. Particularly during the conversion stage, natural substances are granulated into extremely fine particles and further processed to make various forms of capsules, tablets, ointments, liquid solutions, powder, etc. This makes the sector extremely energy-intensive with substantial energy demand and requirement for an uninterrupted flow of energy for the production process.
Reliable Power: The lifeline for pharmaceutical manufacturing
Most pharma units are bogged down by unreliable power supply, and staggering power costs. So, when interruptions in power occur, they, by far, cause disruption in operations. This can be quite overwhelming for pharmaceutical manufacturers to consider, especially when they are already juggling cost priorities. In light of this challenge, a growing number of pharmaceutical industries are looking for an alternative source of uninterruptible power supply that can produce a continuous and clean production output without any interruption.
Multiple Process Requirements Met By One Solution
As the pharmaceutical industry wakes up to the role of sustainability, solar energy has emerged as a good alternative to thermal power resources. Solar power which is a clean renewable resource is the saviour for pharmaceutical industries.
Reliability: Given the pharmaceutical industry’s need for uninterrupted and extensive energy for the production process, solar power is an ideal solution. Solar energy provides minimal operational cost after installation, thereby facilitating smooth operations without any downtime.
Sustainability: The other benefit is that it helps to present the company as a more environment-conscious organization. By using the going green term in the corporate branding and publicity, it shows that the company is committed to the cause of sustainability, not just in business terms, but also in the environmental sense.
Cost-Effectiveness: Adopting a green energy path should be a benchmark for every pharmaceutical unit which is a power guzzler. This is because it is very cost-effective in the long run, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the pharmaceutical sector. By procuring power at a rate that is 20-30% lower than the retail electricity price offered by the state DISCOM, buying solar has a huge benefit of saving on energy costs. Installing solar panels leads to the conservation of electricity bills– the bigger the energy consumption, the bigger the savings.
Environment Friendly: Most pharmaceutical industries happen to be a major contributor to pollution in and around areas where the facilities are located. This is because they rely on diesel generators for on-site backup power, thereby causing serious atmospheric quality deterioration. As a result, solar power is best suited for the sector as it substitutes diesel generators while lowering carbon emissions. Many pharmaceutical companies have taken to adopting solar energy to reduce carbon footprints and curb pollution.
What hinders its adoption?
The installation costs used to be quite high at one point in time but this is no longer the case. So, what’s stopping more pharma owners from using solar energy on a massive scale? The majority of small and medium businesses (SMEs) are either uninformed of the various solar choices or unwilling to go through the regulatory process. A handful of them believes that solar power is ideal for R&D laboratories and not for large-scale manufacturing. Another barrier is to convince pharma manufacturers to accept the higher upfront cost of the capital equipment and installation.
The way forward
India’s domestic pharmaceutical market is anticipated at US$ 65 billion by 2024. The time is ideal for pharmaceutical companies to use solar energy, given the industry’s expanding energy demands and escalating retail power rates. There is a need to raise consumer understanding about the economics and easy maintenance of the technology. The pharmaceutical sector can garner a lot of benefits by having a solar power plant installed in the manufacturing/warehousing premises, provided they understand its utility.
If your pharmaceutical unit is looking to adopt solar energy, please feel free to get in touch with us. We believe in closely working with our clients and are committed to supporting them in their journey towards sustainability.