The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Wisconsin today announced a voluntary collaboration to promote greater industrial energy efficiency throughout the state. DOE, Wisconsin, Wisconsin's Focus on Energy (Focus), and CleanTech Partners have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to foster increased awareness and use of energy efficient practices and technologies by industries.
DOE's Save Energy Now campaign focuses on improving energy efficiency in the industrial sector. Since 2005, DOE-sponsored teams have identified potential energy savings of $574 million per year. Those energy savings could potentially avoid 3.75 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
This partnership puts Wisconsin in the spotlight as the first state in the nation to adopt the Save Energy Now approach; it also marks an important first step for DOE to bring this initiative to all 50 states by leveraging each state's own capabilities and local partnerships.
By combining Save Energy Now with CTP's effective technology deployment model and Focus on Energy's successful industrial program, Wisconsin will support a variety of activities to assist the state's manufacturing facilities. Among the activities, Wisconsin will work with DOE to:
· Promote awareness, demonstration, and adoption of selected technologies funded by DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP)
· Train and certify 20 or more new DOE Qualified Specialists in the State of Wisconsin within the next year
· Conduct fifteen Save Energy Now energy assessments in 2007 and conduct 100 similar assessments at Wisconsin facilities over the next three years.
· Support outreach efforts of the Save Energy Now program in Wisconsin
· Facilitate access by the partners to DOE software tools, training, technical information.
Follow-up surveys indicate that the plants assessed in 2006 have taken steps to save 15.1 trillion Btu of natural gas and $75 million annually. More than 60 percent of the recommendations are in progress or planned, and 90 percent of participating companies were influenced by these assessments when it came to implementing new energy saving projects. For more information on the results of the 2006 assessments, visit the Save Energy Now results page: http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow/partners/resultscfm.
A third round of 250 Industrial Save Energy Now Energy Assessments is now open for applications by eligible industrial facilities. Energy experts will help industries identify energy- and money-saving opportunities, focusing on steam, process heating, pump, fan, and compressed air systems. To apply, visit the Save Energy Now website: www.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow
Learn more about Industrial Technologies Program technology research efforts at www.eere.energy.gov/industry