DOE and Nissan Highlight Industrial Energy Efficiency in Action
April 23, 2010
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Nissan North America co-hosted an event on April 9 to demonstrate Nissan's industrial energy efficiency efforts and to provide a preview of its new electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF™. The event highlighted the progress DOE is making toward reducing industrial energy usage and pollution through effective partnerships with the private sector. With support from DOE, Nissan recently performed a comprehensive energy efficiency retrofit of its manufacturing facility that will produce energy efficient, electric cars. The retrofit will save the company money on energy costs and set a higher standard for its competitors. This partnership underscores DOE's efforts to build a robust, clean energy vehicle industry here in the United States that will spur the creation of green manufacturing jobs, reduce carbon emissions, and increase competition between car makers to build energy efficient vehicles and reinvigorate the American auto industry.
The Industrial Sustainability and Energy Management Showcase event featured a tour of Nissan's Smyrna, Tenn., plant where it will produce its innovative electric car. In January, DOE closed on a $1.4 billion loan with Nissan, made available through DOE's Loan Program Office, which will, in part, help support the factory retrofit. Additionally, the tour showcased several of the energy management projects Nissan implemented as part of DOE's Save Energy Now initiative, a national effort aimed at reducing industrial energy usage. In October 2009, Nissan became a DOE Save Energy Now LEADER Company, pledging to reduce energy intensity by 25% in 10 years. Hosting this event allowed Nissan to embrace its role as an active mentor and role model for others in industry—a key objective of DOE's Save Energy Now LEADER initiative.
The event also provided DOE's Industrial Technologies Program an opportunity to promote partnerships that can help companies replicate successful energy management business practices—particularly within the distressed auto industry, as well as other U.S. industry sectors. In recent years, Nissan has received several energy assessments at its plants—conducted by DOE energy experts—that have allowed the company to reduce its overall energy consumption by more than 30% at a cost savings of more than $11.5 million per year, according to the company.
For more information on DOE's efforts to reduce industrial energy intensity, visit the Save Energy Now Web site.
