Clemson Industrial Assessment Center
Energy efficiency for the growing South Carolina manufacturing industries
Researchers:
According to the US Commerce Department, SC has one of the fastest growing manufacturing sectors in the Nation; between 2011 and 2014 SC manufacturing jobs grew almost 14%. In South Carolina alone, there are 3,500 small and medium sized manufacturing companies with fewer than 500 employees. Thus, there is a significant opportunity to realize industrial energy savings in the rapidly growing manufacturing sector of the State.
This project established a DOE Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) at Clemson University with a support center in Charleston at the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) that provides energy assessment services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within a 150-mile radius. The Clemson IAC will offer services similar to the existing IACs around the Nation, providing SMEs with no-cost energy assessments to identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste, and save energy.
Small teams of faculty and students trained in industrial energy efficiency conduct energy assessments and create customized reports. In providing this service to the region, Clemson IAC will train the next generation of energy-savvy engineers by creating a tiered training program leveraging Clemson’s unique Creative Inquiry (CI) program, Clemson’s University Professional Internship and Co-op program, Clemson’s Certificate in Renewable Energy, and Clemson’s Sustainability Minor. Finally, the Clemson IAC will leverage partnerships with SC energy providers (e.g. Duke Energy), the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the SC Energy Office, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, and the DOE Southeast CHP Technical Assistance Partnership.
Funded by Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: $1,511,076