State Energy Offices' Role in Promoting Economic Development and Accelerating Market Transformation in Industrial Energy Efficiency through Partnerships and Collaboration

摘要

The industrial sector is a critical sector of the U.S. economy and supports an estimated18.6 million direct and indirect jobs, or about one in six of private sector jobs in 2009.1 At thesame time, the sector also represents around thirty percent of energy consumption in the UnitedStates (EIA 2010) and presents a major opportunity for dramatically reducing energy intensity,while improving productivity and economic viability. Resilient, competitive industry is criticalto maintaining a high standard of living in an increasingly competitive and globalized world.Rising energy costs and price volatility have significant impacts on a company’s bottom line;energy efficiency will factor heavily into the planning and operations of the American economicengine: industry.Through a comprehensive survey of all 56 State and Territory Energy Offices (SEOs), theNational Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) systematically captured a snapshot ofstate industrial energy efficiency and clean energy programs underway. Of the 56 SEOs in theU.S., more than 30 administer energy programs for manufacturers and the industrial sector. Thediversity of programs available is a testament to the states as laboratories of innovation, capableof reacting to the unique needs of their local communities and industries. Loan programs,incentives and grants are coupled with technical assistance, project management support, andfree or subsidized audits and assessments to empower companies to improve energy efficiencyand productivity in their facilities.With the recent dramatic increase in funding, primarily in the State Energy Programthrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), many programs which haveexisted for years were able to expand and reach aggressively into areas they could not impactbefore due to limited resources. Total current energy efficiency investment available to theindustrial sector at the state level amounts to about $782 million.2 Of that amount, state fundsfrom systems benefit charges,3 state appropriations, proceeds from greenhouse gas credit sales,and public bond financing initiatives accounts for over $400 million. The remainder of fundingcomes from the federal government, and is invested by states according to priorities in their StateEnergy Program plans (over $312 million). In the case of Save Energy Now (SEN) grants tostate energy offices (around $22.1 million4), programs are implemented according to ITPdirection in collaboration with regional and state-level partners.Though it is still too early to analyze the results of these new programs, the ability ofSEOs to draw on existing relationships built over years and even decades of collaboration withindustry, utilities, sister state agencies, and other state, regional, and national partners providedthe necessary infrastructure to identify and implement projects quickly. Future study will focuson drawing lessons learned and best practices from how these state programs and partnershipsfunctioned.