August 22, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - The California Energy Commission (CEC) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies (DOE-OIT) BestPractices Program are jointly hosting a three-part series of forums for industrial managers focusing on "Energy Solutions for California Industry: Ways to Improve Operations and Profitability."Highlighted during the forums? seminars are case studies of successful industrial energy saving in California, software tools, and other approaches to evaluate and improve the performance of pumping systems, compressed air systems, and motors and drives, all major areas of energy use in industrial operations.
Experts have been grappling with how to manage California's demand for electricity, which is predicted to increase significantly over the next few years. According to the Copper Development Association, rolling blackouts and brownouts are symptoms of a much larger problem - the waste and inefficiency from the electrical equipment and appliances Californians and others use. Energy efficiency is part of the equation that will alleviate the present energy shortages.
"Using energy smartly starts with becoming more efficient in the use of electrical appliances and power distribution systems - not by simply shutting them off," says David Brender, National Program Manager, Electrical Markets, at the Copper Development Association and a participant in the forum. "Energy efficiency saves businesses money by reducing costs, which provides them with a competitive advantage."
Brender continues, "Manufacturers have the technology and the know-how to build highly energy-efficient motors for machinery, transformers, air conditioners, and power distribution equipment that will save money and burn less energy, often with only a small amount of investment. Since motor-driven systems use 60 percent of all electricity used by industry in the United States, efficiency should start there."
The first event just took place at the Radisson Hotel-Sacramento on August 14, 2001, and the next show is set to take place on September 27, 2001, at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The third installment of the series will appear in the late fall (with exact site and date still to be determined).
The events, open to the public for a small registration fee, bring together public and private sector managers and experts from business with representatives from financial institutions, technical services firms, and utility companies. The programs include exhibits and speaker sessions that showcase the technologies and evaluation tools that are available to California industries to reduce energy use and improve financial performance.
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