美國投資6000萬美元 訓練乾淨能源勞工 助中小型企業轉向低碳 | 環境資訊中心
國際新聞

美國投資6000萬美元 訓練乾淨能源勞工 助中小型企業轉向低碳

2021年07月30日
環境資訊中心外電;姜唯 翻譯;林大利 審校;稿源:ENS

美國聯邦政府能源效率和再生能源辦公室26日宣布,將提供28個州的32所高等教育機構總計6000萬美元的資金,用於建立和營運區域產業評估中心。


美國聯邦政府能源效率和再生能源辦公室26日宣布,將投入6000萬美元資金來建立和營運產業評估中心。照片來源:美國能源部

產業評估中心將提供小型製造商能源建議

這些中心將為工程科系大學畢業生和研究生提供製造過程、能源評估程序和能源管理系統方面的培訓。

小型製造商可以獲得針對站點如何提高生產力、保護資訊、減少浪費和節約能源的建議。

「美國最優秀、最聰明的大學生成功幫助當地製造商減少污染、節約能源和削減電費,」能源部長格蘭霍姆(Jennifer Granholm)說,「美國能源部以大學為基礎的產業評估中心正在幫助中小型企業往乾淨能源經濟轉型,尤其是較弱勢或話語權較少的社群的企業,並打造下一代能源勞動力,推動美國走向2050零碳排放。」

這些產業評估中心(IAC)培訓下一代能源專長工程師,能源部表示,每年從IAC結訓的500名工程專業學生中,有60%以上畢業後從事與能源相關工作。

1976年以來 產業評估中心累積近2萬場評估工作

IAC是能源部運作時間最長的計畫之一,自1976年以來一直在進行相關評估工作,至今已經進行了近2萬場。

今年的評估和培訓將側重於提高生產力、加強網路安全、促進彈性規劃以及為位於弱勢社群的對象提供培訓。

一個商業建築市場的新試點計畫將與選定的IAC社區學院和技術計畫合作,培訓學生和專業人員對中小型建築進行能效評估,其中一些建築位於弱勢社區。

西維吉尼亞民主黨參議員曼青(Joe Manchin)說,這筆資金將幫助美國中小型製造商降低能源成本並減少溫室氣體排放,同時保持全球競爭力。

能源部:符合資格的中小型製造商可免費評估

美國能源部能源效率和可再生能源辦公室表示,符合資格的中小型製造商可獲得免費評估。

首先,他們必須符合標準工業規範(Standard Industrial Codes, SIC)20-39,一般來說就是使用動力機器和材料處理設備的工廠,他們處理的材料包括農業、林業、漁業、採礦和採石產品,以及混合材料如潤滑油、塑料樹脂或液體。

其他資格包括企業必須距離合作院校不到150英里、年銷售總額必須低於1億美元,工廠的員工人數必須少於500人,以及年度能源費用必須超過10萬美元但低於350萬美元。

華盛頓州民主黨眾議員賈亞帕爾(Pramila Jayapal)說:「很感謝拜登政府將氣候行動放在第一位,重視環境正義和投資高等教育機構,以便他們能夠在保護地球方面發揮領導力並且世代相傳。」

U.S. Invests $60 Million to Train Clean Energy Workforce
WASHINGTON, DC, July 26, 2021 (ENS)

A total of $60 million will be going to 32 institutions of higher education located in 28 states to set up and operate regional Industrial Assessment Centers, the federal government’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced today.

The centers will offer training for undergraduate and graduate engineering students in manufacturing processes, energy assessment procedures, and energy management systems.

Small manufacturers can get site-specific recommendations on improving productivity, securing information, reducing waste and saving energy.

“America’s best and brightest university students are successfully helping local manufacturers reduce pollution, save energy, and cut their electricity bills,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

“DOE’s university-based Industrial Assessment Centers are assisting small- and medium-sized businesses – particularly those in disadvantaged and underrepresented communities – in the transition to a clean energy economy, building the next-generation energy workforce, and propelling America toward a carbon-free future by 2050,” Granholm said.

Industrial Assessment Centers, or IACs, train the next generation of energy-savvy engineers, and the Department of Energy says that more than 60 percent of the 500 engineering students that graduate their IAC programs each year pursue energy-related careers upon graduation.

One of the longest-running programs offered by the Department of Energy, the IAC program has been doing assessments since 1976, and close to 20,000 assessments have been conducted.

This year’s assessments and training will focus on improving productivity, enhancing cybersecurity, promoting resiliency planning, and providing trainings to entities located in disadvantaged communities.

A new pilot project to expand to the commercial building market will partner selected IACs with community colleges and technical programs to train students and professionals in energy-efficiency assessments of small to medium-sized buildings, some located in disadvantaged communities.

West Virginia University is one of the 32 universities selected to conduct industrial assessments. U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said, “The groundbreaking investment will help remove barriers to decarbonization across the manufacturing sector and support the transition to a cleaner energy future.”

The funding will help small and medium-sized manufacturers across America to “lower their energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while remaining globally competitive,” Manchin said.

The U.S. Dept. of Energy, DOE, which includes the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, EERE, says that small- and medium-sized manufacturers may be eligible to receive a no-cost assessment from a DOE Industrial Assessment Center.

First, they must operate a business that is within Standard Industrial Codes (SIC) 20-39. The manufacturing division of these codes includes establishments engaged in the mechanical or chemical transformation of materials or substances into new products. These are plants, factories, or mills that characteristically use power-driven machines and materials-handling equipment.

The materials processed at establishments within these SIC codes include products of agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and quarrying. Also included is the blending of materials, such as lubricating oils, plastics resins, or liquors.

To qualify for a free assessment the business must be located less than 150 miles from a participating university.

The gross annual sales must be below $100 million, and there must be fewer than 500 employees at the plant site. In addition, there can be no professional in-house staff available to perform the assessment.

The business’ annual energy bills must be more than $100,000 but less than $3.5 million.

U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington State, said, “I am grateful that the Biden-Harris Administration is prioritizing climate action while immediately centering environmental justice and investing in our institutions of higher education so they can lead the way in protecting our planet for generations to come.”

※ 全文及圖片詳見:ENS

作者

姜唯

如果有一件事是重要的,如果能為孩子實現一個願望,那就是人類與大自然和諧共存。

林大利

農業部生物多樣性研究所副研究員,小鳥和棲地是主要的研究對象。是龜毛的讀者,認為龜毛是探索世界的美德。