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

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.”