3RD ANNUAL WASTE HEAT TO POWER
WORKSHOP SEPT 25-26, 2007 HOUSTON.

DOE ANNOUNCES INDUSTRIAL ENERGY REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.  The Department of Energy has released a Request For Information (RFI) on reducing industrial energy intensity.  Section 106 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) seeks reduction of industrial energy use by 25% by 2017.  Section 106 of EPAct authorizes the Secretary of Energy to enter into voluntary agreements with industry with the goal of reducing energy intensity by not less than 2.5 percent each year during the period of calendar years 2007 through 2016.  The Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking information from industry and industry associations regarding the most beneficial and efficient way to reduce industrial energy intensity in order to implement this goal.  The information received will be used by DOE for internal planning and decision making purposes.  The deadline for comments is September 18, 2007.  Topics for the RFI include:

Experience or lessons learned from energy management activities.

• Challenges, pitfalls (what not to do) learned from these activities.
• Roadblocks and concerns that industry may have with reducing energy intensity by 2.5% per year.
• How essential is reducing energy consumption to your company’s economic competitiveness.
• The most effective way(s) to motivate industry to participate in this initiative, including possible incentives.
• The most effective way to conduct a federal government supported program to reduce industrial energy intensity.
• How to document and verify the industrial energy savings in order to evaluate the success of these voluntary agreements.
• The level of interest in participating in the planning or in partnering with the Department to achieve this goal.
• The need for national and/or international standards on industrial energy management.
• Specific technical, technology, or plant assessment tool support considered critical for your participation and the achievement of the initiative’s stated goal.

Go the http://www1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts/progress_alert.asp?aid=246  to access the RFI.

DOE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SAVE ENERGY NOW ASSESSMENTS.  A DOE program that has performed energy assessments at 253 industrial plants throughout the United States is ready for more. Save Energy Now assessments primarily focus on energy-intensive components and systems, such as fans, pumps, and systems for process heating, steam, and compressed air. To date, the assessments have resulted in annual energy savings of nearly $63 million, and currently planned projects are expected to yield another $263 million in annual energy savings. If all the measures identified by the energy assessments were implemented, they would yield an annual cost savings of more than $574 million per year.  DOE will make its initial selections of industrial plants for energy assessments starting in mid-September, and additional selections will be announced periodically until the target of 250 assessments is reached for the calendar year 2008. See the Save Energy Now web site at  http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow/assessments.html

UPCOMING TRAINING AND CONFERENCES.  Check out the Texas IOF fall training events on the home page at http://TexasIOF.ces.utexas.edu  Professional development hours are available for all events.

• Motors Systems, Sept. 12, Fort Worth
• Waste Heat to Power Workshop, Sept. 25-26, Houston
• Pumping Systems Assessment Workshop, Oct. 25, Houston
• Energy Savings in Process Heating through Use of the PHAST Tool, Oct. 31, Baytown
• Texas Industrial Energy Management Forum, Nov. 1, 4-6 pm, Brady’s Landing

GRANTS FOR EMISSION REDUCTIONS FROM RICH-BURN STATIONARY COMPRESSOR ENGINES.    This TCEQ grant program implements Senate Bill 2000, passed in 2007 by the 80th Texas Legislative Session. The bill directs the TCEQ to develop an incentive grant program for the partial reimbursement of capital costs for installing nonselective catalytic reduction (NSCR) systems to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from existing stationary gas-fired rich-burn compressor engines. Grant applications are now being accepted. $4 million currently available.  Go to

http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/air/rules/sb2003.html  for more information. 

STAND UP AND BE RECOGNIZED.  The Texas Environmental Excellence Awards 2008 application is now available online.  The deadline is October 19, 2007.  Apply online today at www.teea.org

ENERGY, WASTE, PRODUCTIVITY ASSESSMENTS AVAILABLE AT NO COST FROM UNIVERSITY CENTER.  The Texas A&M University Industrial Assessment Center has been funded by the US DOE to do additional assessments, including assessments at larger energy users.  To qualify for one of these no-cost assessments, a manufacturer must meet three of the four criteria:

1. Number of employees at the plant site:  less than 500,
2. Gross annual sales at the plant site:  less than $100 million,
3. No in-house energy expertise that could provide the assessment,
4. Annual energy costs at the plant site of a minimum of $100,000;
   Annual energy use less than One Trillion Btu.

For an average smaller plant, the assessment report contains 8 recommendations, $97,000/year savings, and the plants typically implement 5 of the recommendations for savings of $50,000/year.  The participating graduate and undergraduate engineering students gain valuable industrial energy manufacturing experience, having participated in over 20 assessments by the time they graduate.  If interested, call Jim Eggebrecht, 979-845-1508 or email jimeggebrecht@tees.tamus.edu 

For More Information Contact:

Kathey Ferland
Texas Industries of the Future
The University of Texas at Austin
512-232-4823