Industry leaders from Jamaica and Barbados recently learned about saving energy and money via new tools and training shared by WSU engineer Gil McCoy.
The motors training workshop in Jamaica included instruction about motor basics, energy management, motor failure and repair. A demonstration of software tools – MotorMaster+ and the International Motors Selection and Savings Analysis (IMSSA) – from the WSU Extension Energy Program completed the workshop.
“The software tools help users determine the energy and dollar savings from purchasing premium-efficiency motors instead of repairing old standard-efficiency motors,” said McCoy, energy systems engineer for the WSU energy program.
McCoy tried to communicate the savings gained from buying a premium-efficiency motor ahead of time.
“If you wait until equipment fails, there is a scramble to get it back on-line,” he said. “One of the lessons is to be proactive. That way, in the event of a motor failure, there is a premium-efficiency motor just waiting to be put into service to start saving energy.”
“I came away feeling that this audience was being exposed to this material for the first time and they really appreciated it,” McCoy said.
He said he had more questions asked of him by the 37 participants than during any session he has given in the United States. He is hopeful that attendees will take action to better the energy-efficiency methods used in their countries’ industrial facilities.
McCoy originally was contacted by Len Davidson, a member of the International Best Practices Network who McCoy describes as “a mover and shaker for Jamaica.”
“He is trying to provide opportunities that better the lives of these people, despite constraints such as limited funds and their focus on the tourism industry. They are actively looking for a rebound despite the economy’s current state,” McCoy said.
Read an earlier WSU Today article about a different workshop on energy efficiency that WSU conducted in Ghana here.
