Schneider Electric's Energy Management Seminar

Yesterday, I attended the 2009 Energy Management Seminar presented by Schneider Electric. The seminar focused on strategies and technologies to monitor and improve energy efficiency.

The keynote speaker, Peter Garforth, made a compelling case for energy productivity as a profitable business opportunity. Some highlights of his presentation were:

• Only 30% of energy generated is actually sold as electricity. The rest is wasted heat.
• We use less than 10% of the energy we pay for. "Long-term Integrated Energy Planning" can increase the return on energy cost.
• Renewable energy is great, but without efficiency, heat recovery, and cogeneration, we are still wasting the power that is generated.
• Energy costs come out of a company's bottom line.
• Tackling energy and climate change challenges as a strategic initiative creates a competitive advantage.
• Commercial products may soon be required to have a carbon label indicating the environmental impact of manufacturing the product.

Schneider Electric's Power Management Operations team gave a series of presentations outlining their solutions for increasing efficiency in industrial environments. Schneider provides energy consulting solutions as well as many technology tools such as:

• Power Monitoring with PowerLogic: SCADA, PowerView, ION, System Manager Software (SMS), PrimeRead, EPO Energy Profiler
• Power System Automation Control: Auto Throw Over Systems, Load Shedding/Peak Shaving, Load Preservation Systems
• Enterprise Energy Management (EEM) Systems
• Emissions Reporting
• Power Factor Correction and Harmonics Reduction using line filters and conditioners
• Square D Altivar Variable Frequency Drives

Finally, representatives from the local power utility, Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), presented their "Smart Ideas" and "Demand Response" program that offer financial incentives for efficiency improvements and usage reduction.

Useful Energy Standards and Certifications that were referenced throughout the day:

• CEE - Consortium for Energy Efficiency
• DOE EERE - Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Energy Star - Energy performance rating
• LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
• CEM - Certified Energy Manager from the Association of Energy Engineers