Saving Energy in Industrial Compressed Air Systems: Issues and Obstacles in DSM Program Design

Compressed air systems are among the most common and least efficient electrical end uses in industrial plants. Over 50% of plants use compressed air systems. According to various estimates, between 20% and 35% of the energy used in these systems could be saved through improved system design and maintenance. After lighting, motors and HVAC, compressed air systems offer the greatest energy savings potential in industrial facilities. For this reason, there has been increasing interest in capturing this potential through utility-sponsored DSM programs. Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BG&E) has been investigating compressed air program design since 1991, and has offered rebate programs since January 1992. This paper will review BG&E's experiences with its compressed air programs to date and will discuss future directions in compressed air program design. Topics to be discussed include: technology options, industry standards, availability of technical expertise, measurement of performance, and incentive mechanisms

Using DOE Industrial Energy Audit Data for Utility Program Design

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Center Program has offered no-cost energy conservation audits to industrial plants since 1976. The EADC program has maintained a database of detailed plant and audit information since 1980. In 1992, DOE and Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BG&E) agreed to conduct a joint demonstration project in which the EADC database would be used to assist BG&E in planning demand-side management (DSM) programs for its industrial customers. BG&E identified a variety of useful applications of the database including: estimating conservation potential, identifying conservation measures for inclusion in programs, target marketing of industries, projecting DSM program impacts, and focusing implementation efforts. Over the course of the project, BG&E identified a variety of strengths and limitations associated with the database when used for utility planning. To encourage the use of the data by other utilities and interested parties, DOE is preparing an EADC database package for general distribution in April 1993

Carbon trading: opportunities and issues

The chapter provides an overview of the emerging carbon market in terms of the different schemes and carbon currencies of which it is comprised. It briefly examines the rationale for market-based carbon instruments, the history of allowance and credit schemes and then outlines some of the issues being raised by its critics