Researcher in a blue coat and glasses, purple gloves and white baseball gat pulls out materials from a metal canister

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Sachin Nimbalkar, left, and Thomas Wenning guide energy-saving training activities for industry during Energy Bootcamps, hosted by DOE’s Better Plants program. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Better Plants program leads to carbon reduction, cost savings for US manufacturing

Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Research and Analysis

Promoting practices, tools and technologies to enhance energy, carbon, water and material efficiency

The mission of the Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Research and Analysis group (MEERA) is to research, analyze, and disseminate knowledge on energy, carbon, water, and material efficiency in the manufacturing sector and develop, deploy, and promote impactful practices, tools, and technologies.

Capabilities

Technology deployment and analysis in the following areas enable manufacturers and researchers to pursue, investigate, and implement various early-stage technologies to drive U.S. competitiveness and innovation.

Energy efficiency (EE) technologies
Industrial decarbonization
Water efficiency technologies
Waste reduction technologies and circular economy
Sustainable manufacturing
Smart and other advanced manufacturing technologies

MEERA also helps leading manufacturers and water & wastewater treatment agencies improve their energy efficiency and sustainability through the following activities:

Integration of energy and carbon efficiency aspects into R&D activities and systematic tech-deployment
Industry training and workforce development
Providing peer-to-peer networking and recognition opportunities
Development of software tools for industry to identify energy and water efficiency opportunities
Technology field validation and performance verification
Life cycle assessments and techno-economic analysis

Department of Energy Sponsorship

The group is supported by funding from DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a new effort challenging organizations to set ambitious, portfolio-wide greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. This new challenge provides additional opportunities for peer exchange and technical assistance to meet the urgent call to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

More specifically, through the Better Climate Challenge, organizations can partner with DOE to reduce portfolio-wide GHG emissions by at least 50% within 10 years. DOE will provide technical assistance and opportunities to learn and share actionable best practices for carbon reduction.

High Impact Projects

Better Plants Program

ORNL coordinates this DOE program, which partners with more than 250 industrial and wastewater treatment organizations to reduce their energy intensity through technical resources and trainings. To date, BPP partners have reported estimated cumulative energy savings of 1.9 quadrillion Btu for energy cost savings of roughly $9 billion.

Resources for Manufacturing Partners: Software & Tools

MEERA develops and maintains a wide variety of software tools for manufacturing companies to increase efficiency at both the plant-level and within specific systems. Categories of tools and calculators offered include energy management, energy systems analysis, carbon management, and water management.

MEASUR Software Suite

MEERA developed MEASUR, which is used by manufacturers globally to create a model, using facility data, that will optimize and improve the industrial systems for facilities. Using plant-specific operating data, MEASUR helps energy managers assess how much energy each piece of equipment uses annually, as well as the estimated energy costs.

Diagnostic Equipment Program

DOE’s Diagnostic Equipment Program enables manufacturing partners to borrow more than 20 different kinds of tools to collect energy data and improve equipment performance. Partners can test tools before deciding to purchase their own or help justify the cost of purchasing tools by demonstrating their value first-hand.

Strategic Analysis for DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office

MEERA builds and applies analysis tools and analytics to draw insights on the manufacturing sector’s impact on energy, water, carbon, and materials productivity throughout the U.S. economy and identify opportunities for improvement. The data supports a multi-lab AMO Strategic Analysis Team that provides independent, objective, and credible information to inform decision-making.

International Industrial Energy Efficiency

By supporting DOE’s international programs, MEERA has developed a diverse portfolio of resources including energy management tools, publications, and trainings with a set of proven best practices for reducing energy consumption in industrial facilities. MEERA delivers training and technical assistance to students, consultants, local engineers, energy auditors, and factory personnel.