DEP's Office of Energy and Technology Development (OETD), formed in 1995, offers information, funding, services and technical assistance to businesses, organizations and individuals across Pennsylvania. Through partnerships, workshops, financial assistance, and one-on-one contacts, OETD employees from DEP's central office and six regional offices work together with Pennsylvanians on projects to improve the Commonwealth's environment.
In 1995, DEP was the first state environmental agency to adopt a "zero emissions" goal for the regulated community. Businesses were encouraged to pursue continuous environmental improvement through voluntary pollution prevention, energy efficiency and environmental management initiatives. DEP, along with 11 other states, was presented with the Council of State Governments' Innovations Award in 1998 for its leadership in promoting Environmental Management Systems.
Below is an accounting of projects developed and led by OETD. Project goals
include reducing pollution at its source, encouraging energy efficiency, enhancing
conservation efforts and environmental protection while supporting continued
economic development. Promoting the use of renewable and alternative sources
of energy are also an important program objective.
| Cumulative Results: | |
| Projects Measured | 1,296 |
| Water Use Reduction | 7.3 billion gallons |
| Energy Use Reduction | 732 billion Btu |
| Waste Reduction | 173 million tons |
| Air Emissions Reductions | 134 million tons |
| Material Usage Reduction | 4,958 tons |
| Renewable Energy Capacity | 36.036 MW |
| Land Preservation | 21,016 acres |
| Economic Benefit | $1.090 billion |
| People Educated | 181,096 |
| Program areas: | |
| Pollution Prevention | |
| Projects Measured | 394 |
| Water Use Reduction | 700 million gallons |
| Energy Use Reduction | 28 billion Btu |
| Waste Reduction | 250,890 tons |
| Air Emissions Reductions | 10,366 tons |
| Renewable Energy Generation | 33,500 kWh |
| Material Usage Reduction | 2,732 tons |
| Economic Benefit | $265 million |
| People Educated | 126,672 |
| Energy | |
| Projects Measured | 29 |
| Water Use Reduction | 6.2 million gallons |
| Energy Use Reduction | 183 billion Btu |
| Waste Reduction | 120 tons |
| Air Emissions Reductions | 55,978 tons |
| Renewable Energy Capacity | 36 MW |
| Economic Benefit | $2.8 million |
| People Educated | 16,014 |
| Small Business | |
| Projects Measured | 611 |
| Water Use Reduction | 2.4 million gallons |
| Energy Use Reduction | 111.2 billion Btu |
| Waste Reduction | 86,841 tons |
| Air Emissions Reductions | 33,783 tons |
| Material Usage Reduction | 2,226 tons |
| Economic Benefit | $21.9 million |
| Green Buildings | |
| Projects Measured | 6 |
| Water Use Reduction | 593,040 gallons |
| Energy Use Reduction | 1.36 billion Btu |
| Waste Reduction | 153 tons |
| Air Emissions Reductions | 414 tons |
| Renewable Energy Generation | 18,000 kWh |
| Land Preservation | 13 acres |
| Economic Benefit --(energy savings only) |
$21,064 |
| People Educated | 4,970 |
| Governor's Awards | |
| Projects Measured | 256 |
| Water Use Reduction | 6.6 billion gallons |
| Energy Use Reduction | 408 billion Btu |
| Waste Reduction | 173 million tons |
| Air Emissions Reductions | 134 million tons |
| Land Preservation | 21,003 acres |
| Economic Benefit | $800 million |
| People Educated | 31,270 |
|
|
Notes - Measurements:
1. Projects--shows only the total number of projects within a program area that have been measured and used to supply the data. This does not represent the total number of projects completed or activities ongoing in the particular program.
2. Water Usage Reduction may affect Waste Water Generation Reduction and vice-versa. This may or may not be reflected in the totals above.
3. Energy Use Reductions: All forms of power saved: natural gas, oil, heat, electricity, etc. from various projects have been converted to and expressed in British Thermal Units (Btu), a standard energy measure that can be used for electricity generation, heating from oil, natural gas or propane, and transportation fuels. This figure can also be represented in kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy saved using the conversion formulas found at http://www.onlineconversion.om/energy.htm.
For reference purposes, 732 billion Btu would be equivalent to about 214 million kWh, 5.4 million gallons of fuel oil or 790 million cubic foot of natural gas which could heat approximately 7,600 houses for an entire year or provide electricity to 480,000 homes for one month.
4. Materials Usage Reduction does not include Water or Energy Use Reductions. Materials usage reduction is expressed in tons of raw materials saved from use.
5. Waste Reductions are expressed in tons of waste saved from treatment, deposition, discharge, incineration, and landfilling.
6. Air Emission Reductions were compiled from air source reduction projects and also calculated in relation to energy use reductions reported. Emission reductions from energy use were determined using the emission reduction calculators found at http://cleanerandgreener.org/emission_reductions.htm.
7. Economic Benefit Data is expressed as an aggregate total of the economic benefits to the client in dollars not spent per year on resources or environmental management activities. This does not include the amount of money granted to perform a project. In some cases conversion factors have been applied to energy use reductions to calculate economic savings.
Program Descriptions
1. The Pollution Prevention Program strives to reduce pollution and save energy. Examples include: the Pollution Prevention Site Visit Program, Pollution Prevention Roundtables, Industry Sector Partnerships, Technology Programs, The Green Seal Certification of Hotels and Mercury and Chemical Clean-up Programs.
2. The Energy Program seeks to reduce energy consumption, promote renewable energy use and reduce energy-related pollution. Examples include: Distributed Power Projects, Green Electricity and the Community Energy Project.
3. The Small Business Program strives to assists small businesses with regulatory compliance; provide information about cost saving pollution prevention practices and ensure that small business needs are accounted for when new regulations are developed. Examples include: The Small Business Pollution Prevention Account, The Site Assessment Grant Program and The Business for the Bay Program.
4. The Green Buildings Program and its partners encourage the use of green building principles which promote the healthiest possible environment during construction and operation, while representing the most efficient and least disruptive use of land, water and energy resources. Examples include: Statewide Building Code Adoption, Technical Assistance Projects, Construction Waste Management and numerous green buildings erected within Pennsylvania.
5. The Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence recognizes Pennsylvania's leaders in innovative green technologies and environmental management. The awards honor individuals, employers, municipalities and institutions that are working to benefit Pennsylvania's environment and economy. Any Pennsylvania business, government agency, municipality, organization, farm or agribusiness, or individual engaged in pollution prevention, recycling, land use, energy efficiency or educational efforts is eligible to apply for a Governor's Award.
|
This fact sheet and related environmental information are available electronically via Internet. For more information, visit us through the PA PowerPort at www.state.pa.us PA Keyword "pollution prevention".
|
| Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Mark Schweiker, Governor |
An Equal
Opportunity Employer |
Department of Environmental Protection
David E. Hess, Secretary 7000-FS-DEP3005 10/2002 |
