IBEW Local 569 (San Diego) Honored for Renewable Energy Training

Press Release Source: San Diego Regional Energy Office

Winners of 2004 'San Diego Excellence in Energy' (SANDEE) Awards Announced
Tuesday January 18, 4:24 pm ET
San Diego Regional Energy Office and San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Recognize Top Energy Saving Projects, Organizations and Individuals

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The San Diego Regional Energy Office (SDREO) and San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce (SDRCC) today announced the winners of the first San Diego "Excellence in Energy" (SANDEE) Awards at the Chamber's annual dinner. Among those recognized were the County of San Diego, University of California San Diego (UCSD), City of Chula Vista, Tom Blair (City of San Diego), Qualcomm and the IBEW/NECA San Diego Electrical Training Trust.

The SANDEE Awards are presented annually to outstanding business, government and institutional projects, persons or activities that save energy and/or contribute to the success of the "San Diego Regional Energy Strategy 2030" in the areas of transportation, infrastructure and buildings. The awards program is a joint project between SDREO and SDRCC and is cosponsored by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and NRG Energy.

2004 San Diego Excellence in Energy - Award Winners

Project of the Year (Government) - County of San Diego

The County of San Diego took top honors in this category for its North County and South Bay Regional Centers by adopting mechanical and solar power technologies to reduce the operating costs of two sites as part of one capital improvement project. The central chiller plants were converted to an all variable speed system controlled by the "Hartman Loop" technology, which lowered plant electricity usage by 45%. With the addition of 200 kW of photovoltaic systems installed between both facilities -- the net result was over 2 million kWh/yr and $250,000/yr in savings. This equates to a 4.3 year payback, 24% ROI and $2.69 million life cycle savings. Due to the success of this project, the County has since implemented variable speed technology at six additional facilities.

Project of the Year (Institution) - University of California San Diego

UCSD retrofitted two laboratory research buildings with variable frequency drives and rebalanced them to newer campus standards with lower air change requirements. These two modifications achieved 1.74 million kWh, 114,000 therms and $314,000 in annual energy savings -- a very fast, 2.6 year payback.

Outstanding Organization Achievement (Government) - City of Chula Vista

The City of Chula Vista went above and beyond to support and adopt emerging technologies that protect the environment. Acting on recommendations in their recently adopted CO2 Reduction Plan -- designed to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations -- the City constructed a Municipal Clean Fuel Demonstration Project to showcase clean fuel technologies in real world applications. This included the world's first zinc-powered fuel cell car, followed by the region's first hydrogen fueling station open to the public. In November, Chula Vista became one of three U.S. cities selected to demonstrate a Honda FCX fuel cell car. The City concluded that replacing Chula Vista's entire vehicle fleet would avoid approximately 8,000 tons/yr of CO2 emissions and conserve about 105 million Btu/yr of diesel, gasoline and natural gas.

Outstanding Organization Achievement (Business) - Qualcomm Incorporated

Qualcomm Incorporated was recognized for their consistent and ongoing commitment to energy efficiency, product and project performance, regional advocacy, and long-term infrastructure planning and implementation -- which directly support the goals of the San Diego Regional Energy Strategy 2030. This has included:

* Strategies to save energy through education, special programs,
reminders and a dedicated energy website.

* Employee shuttles and economic support for carpooling and Coaster use.

* Active participation in the new California Climate Action Registry to
document and reduce emissions.

* Instituting a comprehensive array of operational practices and capital
investment projects to upgrade building envelope, lighting and
mechanical systems for improved operations, maintenance and lower
operating costs.

* An internal Energy & Resources Committee that meets biweekly to
evaluate products and projects.

* Supports for a variety of local resource conservation organizations
through an employee matching grant program and sponsoring the annual
Bike-To-Work Day.


Finally, Qualcomm has developed several key initiatives to foster a future community of well-educated scientists and engineers to develop the technologies and innovations that will help our planet be a more energy-efficient place to live.

Outstanding Organization Achievement (Institution) - IBEW/NECA San Diego Electrical Training Trust

The nonprofit San Diego Electrical Training Trust's "Apprenticeship and Journeyman Training Center" recognized the growing need for development of renewable energy resources -- specifically in support of the Southern California solar industry. The San Diego IBEW/NECA partnership offers an innovative training center to quickly, efficiently, and safely train skilled electrical and telecommunication workers, while creating energy savings and promoting solar technology. To facilitate this educational program and lead by example, the Center installed a 89.4 kW AC commercial solar array, providing over 90% of the facility's power needs and offsetting 37 tons per year of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be produced by burning fossil fuels.

Special Recognition Award - Tom Blair

Tom Blair has been the Energy Conservation and Management Administrator for the City of San Diego since February 2002. Under his direction, the City has reduced energy consumption and costs to taxpayers by over $3 million, and is on target to install 50 MW of renewable energy systems by the year 2013. This has included:

* Setting up an Electronic Data Interchange of billing data and
subsequent electronic payments to SDG&E for 3,200 monthly gas and
electric accounts thereby replacing labor intensive data-entry efforts
and increasing accuracy

* Leading a tariff verification and analysis of water and wastewater
facilities that results in an energy cost savings of $900k/yr

* Managing the installation of 4 City-owned photovoltaic system sites
with a combined capacity of 176 kW

* Overseeing the first cogeneration/photovoltaic hybrid interconnection
in SDG&E service territory; among numerous other energy efficiency
projects.


Finally, Blair's active participation in regulatory and legislative processes is a positive influence for many in the Southern California region.

Runner-ups
Other organizations and individuals who were recognized included:

* Naval Base Coronado for a cogeneration system

* Flexcar for an innovative transportation solution

* Otay Water District for energy efficient infrastructure

* Keith Thompson of ILA+Zammitt for energy services and advocacy


Award sponsors praise winners

In announcing the winners, Irene M. Stillings, Executive Director of SDREO commented, "San Diego and California are still faced with long-term energy supply issues. The SANDEE Award winners are clearly doing their part to help ensure our region has the energy it needs now and for the future."

"By recognizing those organizations that are leading the way on energy savings and production, we hope to incentivize others to adopt similar programs and projects. The benefits that will accrue to the region are enormous," said SDRCC President and CEO Jessie J. Knight, Jr.

Judging

All submissions were evaluated by a panel of local energy and planning experts:

* Stephen L. Kapp, CEM, CDSM - Program Manager, SDREO

* Steve Hoffmann - Energy Committee Chair, SDRCC & Vice President, NRG
Energy Center, Inc.

* Athena Besa - Energy Programs, Mass Markets, SDG&E

* Rob Rundle - Principal Regional Planner, SANDAG

* Bob Miller, PE, CEM - Energy Engineer (Retired)


For more information, visit the SDREO website at http://www.sdenergy.org and follow the SANDEE links. For questions about the winning projects or the award process, please contact Stephen Kapp at SDREO at 858-244-1177 or by e-mail at stephen.kapp@sdenergy.org.

San Diego Regional Energy Office (SDREO) is an independent, public-benefit, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that provides objective information, research, analysis and long-term planning on energy issues for the San Diego region. SDREO serves as a critical link between consumers and government and is currently managing a variety of publicly-funded rebate, incentive and education programs. SDREO also operates the San Diego Energy Resource Center -- a reference, training and demonstration facility for energy education and technologies. For more information, visit our website at http://www.sdenergy.org or call us toll free at 1-866-SDENERGY.


Source: San Diego Regional Energy Office