California has some of the largest concentrations of different industries in the nation. California industry consumes 21 percent of the electricity used within the state. PIER IAW staff analyzed the energy needs of several of these industries and selected the following that are either the largest users of energy or are most sensitive to energy costs, reliability and power quality:
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For the coming year, the PIER program will work in collaboration with organizations representing the selected industries to identify RD&D options to overcome energy related problems. The PIER program will focus on RD&D activities that will provide these industries with the ability to meet energy-related challenges. Industry is often required to maintain low manufacturing costs while maintaining environmentally clean and energy efficient operations. The PIER program will focus research on activities that will help industry attain this difficult and critical balance.
Agriculture forms a large segment of California's economy, exporting food to other states and countries and employing hundreds of thousands of workers. Agriculture is dependent upon electrical energy for irrigation and post-harvest processing. Low electrical costs and a high degree of power reliability are critical for a successful and sustainable agricultural operation. The PIER program will continue RD&D activities in seeking to improve the techniques for advanced irrigation and other load management practices that will help this sector cope better in the electrical restructured market. The program will continue to manage currently funded projects in the area of advanced irrigation practices for water conservation and water recovery.
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Availability of clean water at a low cost is essential to California's
economy and continued prosperity. The state relies upon large water
transfers within the state. The state also needs to treat large quantities
of water to meet both municipal and waste discharge requirements.
These activities are heavily dependent on electricity.
Water treatment facilities in California use 4 percent of all the
electricity used in California. The PIER program will continue to
focus on RD&D activities that help improve the energy efficiency
of water for urban, industrial and agricultural consumption and efficient
treatment of wastewater. The current contracts with the consortium
of water utilities will be managed. The PIER program will work with
the consortium for transferring the technologies developed through
these projects for a wider adoption.
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Energy Use
The following charts show the top 5 electricity and natural gas consuming industries in California.
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