At roughly 5,000 aMW per year, the industrial and agricultural sectors are the largest electrical energy consumers in the Northwest. These sectors represent an estimated savings potential of up to 900 aMW——enough energy to power nearly 641,700 Northwest homes each year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions equal to taking more than 1,008,669 cars off the road each year. These energy savings represent more than just a resource for the region’s electrical system; they represent a significant opportunity for diverse Northwest manufacturing industries to achieve or maintain a competitive advantage in today’s global marketplace.
NEEA’s focus in the industrial sector is on the Northwest’s two most energy-intensive industries—food processing and pulp and paper. Its market transformation strategy addresses industrial market barriers through three integrated initiatives: Collaborative Energy Strategies, Strategic Energy Management and Regional Technical Solutions. Together, these initiatives support NEEA’s mission and work in partnership with the region’s stakeholders to create sustainable energy savings. They enable manufacturing and agricultural companies to make energy efficiency an integral part of their corporate and plant operations. Read more about NEEA's Industrial Initiative's success.
NEEA is currently focused on transforming the industrial market through the following initiatives:
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THE 25 in10sity CHALLENGE |
NEEA is mobilizing industrial executive management to lead their industry groups to set group-wide energy-intensity reduction goals of at least 25 percent in 10 years. NEEA leverages existing industry groups—including trade associations, alliances and geographic clusters—to set goals and create plans to achieve those goals. NEEA then supports the industry group by helping them implement elements of their plans and collaborating with them to form alliances with funding partners to support their implementation efforts.
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STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGEMENT (SEM) |
As industry executives become familiar with the benefits of energy management through NEEA’s 25 in10sity CHALLENGE goal setting, many choose the next step of beginning an energy management program at their own industrial facilities. In 2010 NEEA will implement this initiative through two approaches: The Northwest Energy Management Demonstration Project and NEEA’s facility-based program, also known by the product name, Continuous Energy Improvement (CEI).
The Northwest Energy Management Demonstration Project is co-sponsored by NEEA and the U.S. Department of Energy. Through this project, NEEA will work with participating companies and utilities to help strengthen their sustainable energy management strategies and systems that lead to continuous energy savings, reduced operational costs and significant reduction of carbon emissions. These results will showcase the tangible advantages of energy efficiency as a sustainable and profitable business model and will provide guidance and input into the creation of an emerging set of energy management standards. Through CEI, NEEA will also work in collaboration with local utilities to provide industry executives a framework to incorporate energy management into the culture and operations within their companies. This work will support them in managing energy as a controllable expense. CEI is a self-sustaining management system based on the well-established principles of process management and continuous improvement.
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REGIONAL TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS (RTS) |
The third part of NEEA’s industrial sector strategy is its Regional Technical Solutions (RTS) initiative. Through this initiative, NEEA and the region’s utilities bring together industrial end-users from across the region for technical training. To date, industrial training has focused on systems that drive production: motors, pumps, compressed air and refrigeration. NEEA continues to work with industry to help define the training and education needs of its workforce, and to investigate the best format and delivery methods for that training and education. This initiative also enables NEEA to work with utilities and the marketplace to identify products and services that utilities can incorporate into their own industrial offerings.
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STANDARDS |
In 2010, NEEA will work on strengthening industrial standards through its Northwest Energy Management Demonstration Project. Companies and utilities participating in the Northwest demonstration project, which is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and NEEA, will provide critical input for an emerging set of energy management standards and a certification scheme. Once completed, these new standards promise to help create a clear path for all of industry to follow to reach greater energy efficiency improvements, as well as cost savings. Click here for more information on NEEA’s work with codes and standards.
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