Western governors target industrial energy efficiency

A summit brings together stakeholders on the issue

The Western Governors' Association, which represents the governors of 19 Western U.S. states, hosted a summit  recently on industrial energy efficiency policies. Industrial executives, plant managers, utility representatives and others interested in energy efficiency discussed ways Western states could increase industrial energy efficiency.

The industrial sectors of the U.S. West are responsible for about 28 percent of their state’s energy use. Though considerable efficiency gains have been made in the nation’s industrial sector, evidence suggests that industrial companies can continue to reduce their energy intensity by 2–3 percent per year.

In preparation for the summit, participants received a white paper co-authored by American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) about current issues and challenges ahead.

These include capital constraints within industrial firms and a lack of trained staff at firms and at programs designed to help encourage industrial energy efficiency. However, there are tremendous recent successes to be found in industrial energy efficiency, including new combined heat and power (CHP) projects, significant corporate leadership on energy and emissions reductions and strong local and regional partnerships. The white paper examines some of these successes, offering particular case studies and summaries further describing several of these programs active today in Western states.

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