Archive for the ‘GREEN ARTICLES’ Category
Global Energy Efficiency Challenge is Spearheaded by the US
by Daniel Stouffer
Organizations that are way ahead in their initiatives towards the environment have taken steps towards answering the call from the Global Energy Efficiency Challenge, an agenda recently launched by the government of the United States. On one hand, some of such initiatives are niche related and diverse, while on the other, aim to promote advocacy and education as well as taking action in the mainstream market. Most of such initiatives were launched at the Clean Energy Ministerial that recently took place in Washington DC. Based on the information coming from the United States Department of Energy, there have been significant investments made in energy efficiency across the board most recently. Such initiatives are mostly focused on building efficiency, accounting for an estimated 60% of the worldwide GHG emissions every year. Since the DOE has pushed such initiatives, it has consequently made investments for the allocation of research grants as well as for the certifications of inspectors, technicians, operators and auditors.
A variety of forward thinking initiatives have been created as a result of the Global Energy Efficiency Challenge, which was launched recently by the United States government. Some of these initiatives are very diverse and niche related, while others aim to promote education and action in the mainstream market. Many of these initiatives were launched at the Clean Energy Ministerial which took place recently in Washington DC.
The Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership (GSEP) is among the most significant initiatives out of the Clean Energy Ministerial. This partnership involves a three-pronged approach to efficiency improvements in commercial buildings and industrial facilities. As some criticism was aimed at the United States by other countries that participated in the Copenhagen energy Summit, the recently announced Global Energy Efficiency Challenge, which is spearheaded by the US government is bound to be welcome news. A number of other countries have signed on to support the project and become part of the partnership and these countries combined represent more than 80% of energy consumption, worldwide.
One of the primary goals of the GSEP is to develop a certification process to make sure that energy efficiency improvements are meaningful and sustainable. The companies that are participating in the pilot program will need to adopt an energy management system and establish baseline energy performance. There is also a need to undergo a process that ensures the improvements of efficiency in the future, which are to be done according to approved protocols that have been subjected to unbiased validation. Large companies like Target and Wal-Mart, which comprise the largest retail outlets across the globe, have signified commitment to have a dedicated staff implement partnerships which are created under the Global Energy Efficiency Challenge. The staff will in turn ensure that employees within the organization are trained on the program. Participating companies will upload their findings to a centralized database, where the data will be made available as generic sector benchmarks.
The companies selected to take part in the GSEP represent commercial buildings, retail operations, industrial facilities, public buildings and educational settings and the information collected from their operations will be made available as application specific case studies. Once feedback has been obtained, the actual certification process itself will be finalized and will be launched for adoption across the board. Companies are in a waiting list, ready to participate, which is also an indicator that the GSEP pilot project is very popular. The GSEP partnership and the Global Energy Efficiency Challenge are further reminders that every organization needs to be fully aware of its relative efficiency. The popularity of this program is a strong indicator of the impact that energy efficiency initiatives have on a company’s reputation and the proactive stance organizations are trying to take.
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