Two universities in Arizona and Colorado are among the 32 institutions of higher learning receiving Department of Energy funding for their work in helping manufacturers reduce their carbon emissions.
Tempe-based Arizona State University and the Colorado School of the Mines, located in the city of Golden, have established Industrial Assessment Centers which are designed to help lower energy costs for small and medium-sized manufacturers.
In addition, those centers are also tasked with the training of energy-efficiency student engineers.
In a statement, Jennifer Granholm, the Secretary of the Energy Department, said the Industrial Assessment Centers are particularly helping businesses in “disadvantaged and underrepresented communities” to “transition to a clean energy economy.”
The centers are particularly focusing on such matters as promoting resiliency planning, enhancing cybersecurity, and generally improving productivity.
Altogether, the Energy Department is awarding up to $60 million in new funding for the various centers.
Launched in 1976, the Industrial Assessment Centers have to date conducted more than 19,000 worksite assessments, implementing in the process nearly $900 million in energy savings measures for small and medium-sized businesses.
By Garry Boulard
