Projects

For most industries, energy is a critical component in the manufacturing process and improving energy efficiency directly impacts the vitality and competitiveness of individual companies and the US industrial economy. The US Department of Energy has determined the key sectors where energy use is particularly intense and recognized them as “Industries of the Future.” Recent ERC projects that focused on these critical industries include an investigation of the energy conservation opportunities in metal casting, chemicals and pulp and paper manufacturing. The ERC audit team performs extensive assessments of a industrial plant, evaluating not only energy intensive uses but opportunities for waste minimization and process and productivity improvements.

The ERC's Industrial projects include:

• Illinois Industries of the Future Seminars -- The Energy Resources Center will host a series of seminars that bring crosscutting technologies to a broad base of industrial market sectors within the State of Illinois.

• Total Assessment Audits - Chemicals Program -- On-site assessments provide energy conservation, waste minimization and productivity improvement services to small and medium sized chemicals companies.

• Industrial Energy Audits -- Working to investigate energy conservation opportunities in the industrial sector.

• Midwest CHP Application Center -- Exploring the commercialization and deployment of Cooling, Heating, and Power (CHP) technologies in the eight state Midwest region.

• BCHP Guidebook -- Facilitating the permitting process for end users and developers of CHP/BCHP projects.

• USDOE Industrial Assessment Center -- Offering no-cost industrial assessments concentrating on energy conservation, waste minimization and process improvement.

• Industrial CHP, City of Chicago -- Identifying strategic industrial locations that will maximize the benefit of integrated Industrial Distributed Generation Systems.

• Industrial Machinery and Manufacturing Equipment Industry -- Studying the energy usage and economics of the diverse manufacturing climate of the Industrial Machinery and Manufacturing Equipment Industry.

• TAA Metal Casters -- The Total Assessment Audit provides analysis and recommendations on energy usage, producton improvements and other cost saving procedures for the metal casting industry.