Businesses, institutions and municipalities can learn to reduce energy use while improving system reliability by attending the U.S. Department of Energy’s full-day Motor System Management workshop June 11 at Northampton Community College’s Alumni Hall Room 130D in Bethlehem, Lehigh County.

Eligible workshop participants may also apply for a $1,000 Energy Use-Reduction Grant. Attendees of each DEP-cosponsored workshop are encouraged to implement a “best practice” from the workshop during a four-month window following the class. Project reports selected as “best in class” by DEP staff will receive a $1,000 grant award. Grant application packets will be available at each workshop.

The deadline for grant applications is June 30.

Motor-driven systems account for 64 percent of industrial energy use, consuming nearly 290 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. Motor intensive businesses can achieve dramatic reductions in energy usage through sound energy management practices. DOE’s “Best Practices” workshops provide the latest technical support available and are taught by highly trained and experienced DOE-qualified system specialists.

Plant managers, maintenance staff, engineers, and operations personnel attending the event will improve their understanding of electric motor systems and learn the skills necessary to improve system reliability and efficiency.

The evaluation and selection of the optimum motor for specific applications, motor inventory maintenance and tracking, guidelines for motor repair and rewind, and more will be presented. Electric power systems and management of power transmission and driven loads are also covered relative to motor operation.

In addition to Northampton Community College, event sponsors include the Chester County Economic Development Council, The Electro-Technology Applications Center, the Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Energy & Technology Deployment, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The registration fee includes all workshop training materials, DOE’s Save Energy Now CD containing the full suite of Industrial Technology Program software tools and technical literature, and lunch.

To register for the June 11 Motor System Management Workshop, call Karen Costello at 610-458-5700 ext. 219 or send email to: kcostello@cceconomicdevelopment.com .

For more information, visit the DOE workshops schedule on DEP’s website. Questions about the workshops, information on the Energy Use-Reduction Grant project or information about sponsoring your own workshop contact Richard Illig in the DEP Office of Energy and Technology Deployment at 717-772-5834, or send email to: rillig@state.pa.us .

5/16/2008