Industrial evolution

New technologies can help businesses become more energy efficient.

April 16, 2009

If you drive a fuel-efficient car, you are helping the environment by conserving natural resources and reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. But what about the energy it took to produce the fuel and the other products we use? Can efficiency help there, too?

The answer is yes. Businesses are major consumers of energy. In creating and delivering the goods and services we depend upon, they use large quantities of electric power and other energy sources. For example, the industrial sector alone accounts for about one-third of total energy consumption worldwide and more than 25 percent of energy-related CO2 emissions.

By improving energy efficiency, and taking advantage of advanced efficiency technologies, industries have a tremendous opportunity to contribute to the global effort to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

At ExxonMobil, our high-efficiency cogeneration facilities throughout 10 U.S. sites generate up to 2,400 megawatts of electricity, while also producing steam and useful heat needed for industrial processes. At our refinery in Beaumont, Texas, one cogeneration plant — our largest worldwide — can produce about 500 megawatts of electricity, which not only powers refining operations but also supplements the local power grid.

We have invested more than $600 million in U.S. cogeneration facilities commissioned since 2004. When combined with our global cogeneration capacity, these investments have helped reduce global greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to taking more than 1 million cars off U.S. roads.

Clearly, increased energy efficiency is good for the environment. But it also enhances the global business environment.

Companies can reduce costs, increase productivity and benefit shareholders by using advanced technology to make their operations more energy efficient — a valuable asset during challenging economic times.

The International Energy Agency calls efficiency a “triple win” solution — boosting economic performance, strengthening energy security and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

We agree. ExxonMobil has systematically worked to improve efficiency at our global operations, and we are making large investments in research and development of technologies that can advance the efficiency of how we produce energy and how consumers use our products.

Today, companies and nations are being challenged to find creative ways to restore economic growth while also protecting the environment. Investing in energy efficiency can help accomplish both.