Using IAC database for longitudinal study of small to medium sized automotive industry suppliers' energy intensity changes

Industries related to automotive manufacturing and its supply chain play a key role in leaving a carbon footprint during an automobile's life cycle. Per the report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in March, 2008 [1], "motor vehicle industry in the U.S. spends about $3.6 billion on energy annually." The proposed research will focus on energy savings opportunities in automotive manufacturing and its supplier network. The US Department of Energy (DOE) funds 24 Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) throughout the U.S. that conduct energy assessments at many of these facilities. The results of these assessments are summarized in a database maintained by Rutgers University which acts as the central management body for all the IACs. This research will present key concepts summarized from this database. These concepts include: (1). top 10 energy saving recommendations, (2). top 10 energy savings implemented measures, (3). comparison of energy efficiency investment in small-and mid-sized automotive industry supply chain in pre and post economic slump, (4). impact of major federal incentives on energy efficiency investments and its correlation with the implementation of recommended measures from database, and (5). energy savings potential across the automotive industry.