SHPE - Spring08 - (Page 33)

During peak times, PG&E’s program, customized to meet particular business needs, is triggered to take energy usage down in ways that have a minimum impact on businesses yet still ensure reliability. By saving the grid tons of energy, businesses and communities can avoid or minimize the likelihood of brownouts. PG&E’s rebates for use of energyefficient appliances and technologies, as well as energy conservation, are a result of studies conducted by its own engineers. For example, PG&E engineers determined that the majority of total energy being consumed is when appliances and electronics, such as computers, are on but not in use. Within ETG’s lighting program, engineers help develop long-term, more-efficient alternatives to incandescent lighting by, for example, working with manufacturers to discover improvements to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s). The company is working to pipe solar energy from solar farms in such places as the Mojave Desert into the grid. “There’s a lot of potential with solar energy now that it has become a lower-cost, higher-volume solution,” Romans said. “This is a testament to those technologies being realized by engineering groups like ours that are exploring and recognizing them and putting them in the commercial market.” Although 50 percent of PG&E’s power mix emits zero carbon emissions, the company is aggressively pursuing and accelerating the development of renewable power sources and the next-generation of energy. Engineers help the company identify renewable resources such as biomass, wind, geothermal, biogas (methane capture) and solar. They determine the resources’ capability, assess their viability in terms of quality and return on investment, and help to bring them to the grid. PG&E recently signed an agreement with a tidal company to harness wave power, a relatively new technology. Looking to new energy sources, Romans explained, “captures the imagination of what you can do with different and innovative technology.” Clean air transportation is another area where PG&E has been an industry leader. In April 2007, the company unveiled its utility Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, www.SHPE.org R Spring 2008 which enables bi-directional sharing of electricity between Electric Vehicles (EV’s) and Plug-in Electric Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV’s) and the electric power grid. “V2G technology is one of the most promising solutions to help meet our growing energy needs while reducing the transportation sector’s impact on the environment,” said Romans. Within the company’s own operations, PG&E has been working to reduce waste streams and water consumption, minimize the use of toxic and chemical substances, maintain higher levels of recycling and model sound energy-efficient practices. By making its own buildings green – its San Francisco headquarters is Gold LEED certified (the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s Green Building Rating) – PG&E is demonstrating the value of protecting the environment to its employees, customers and community. I 33 http://www.otiscareers.com http://www.otiscareers.com http://www.SHPE.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Spring08

SHPE - Spring08 Contents President’s Letter Browser Letters to the Editor Calendar of Events The Magic of Thinking BIG Five Steps to Easier Fundraising Designing Women ¡Viva Verde! The Education and Training of Ramon Flores Breakthroughs in Mobile Military Communications The Retention Doctor Success at School Begins at Home STAR Nominations Do Good Things Come to Those Who Wait? Programs & Services Regional Roundup Advertisers Index

SHPE - Spring08

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