Minnesota consumed a total of 1,979 trillion Btus of energy in 2008. Of this, Minnesota industry consumed approximately 33% or 615 trillion Btus, including 30,000 gigawatt hours of electricity and 100 million MCF of natural gas to deliver products and services.
These use levels motivated recommendations for energy efficient technologies and practices aimed at meeting target reductions established by state and federal policy. Adoption of these recommendations would also provide significant cost savings to businesses.
To address energy conservation, the Minnesota legislature passed the Next Generation Energy Act of 2007, which calls for all utilities in Minnesota to achieve an energy savings goal of 1.5% of gross annual retail energy sales. In addition, the National Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed to encourage industry to reduce energy intensity by 2.5% each year between 2007 and 2016.
Since 2010, the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) has been working under a U.S. Department of Energy Save Energy Now grant, administered through the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources, to provide industrial energy efficiency technical assistance resources to businesses across Minnesota. The combined activities supported by the Save Energy Now grant have assisted Minnesota manufacturing sites in identifying and implementing economically feasible energy efficiency projects that can yield 665,000 MMBtus annually in energy efficiency savings compared to current practice. This equates to over $8 million in potential savings and has contributed to the state’s Next Generation goal.
To date, 20% of identified MMBtu savings have been reported by our clients as being implemented by their operations, resulting in 128,000 MMBtus in reduced energy usage and an estimated $900,000 in cost savings per year, and will be extended through MnTAP’s current refrigeration assessment campaign. These savings were gained through changes in compressed air, steam and fan system designs, and motor upgrades. If conservation is equated to renewable energy, this would be the equivalent of the annual energy generated by 150 windmills.
Join MnTAP as an intern to help businesses save energy and money!
The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) is seeking junior or senior college students to work on waste reduction and energy efficiency projects at companies in Minnesota for the summer of 2014. MnTAP anticipates funding up to nine projects for the summer of 2014 in locations around the state. The projects are at different companies and in a variety of industries.
To apply for an internship, complete the online application form. Priority will be given to students who apply before March 1, however applications will be considered until all positions are filled.
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