PEPS CASE STUDY CONAE s Ports of Attention (PACs) in Mexico 1

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1 PEPS CASE STUDY CONAE s Ports of Attention (PACs) in Mexico 1 Summary Mexico s National Commission for Energy Conservation (CONAE) has created a network of Ports of Attention, or PACs. PACs are Internet-equipped stations operated mainly by students and directed and supervised by CONAE s central and regional offices. These stations were created in 1997 as part of the Virtual CONAE strategy, whose aim was to provide technical assistance on energy efficiency through CONAE s Webpage to all interested energy users. PACs started providing technical assistance to users who did not have access to the Internet, such as small firms and some offices of municipal governments. Currently, the program has evolved; the PAC s have become more sophisticated and specialized, supporting facility operators and other co-workers interested in implementing energy efficiency projects. The PACs have become a highly leveraged way to provide technical assistance on energy efficiency and renewable energy use in both the public and private sectors, while developing a large number of well-trained young professionals and encouraging many of them to consider the field of energy efficiency 2. The PACs program also promotes cooperation and coordination among the host partners, often universities or trade associations. By utilizing the Internet, the program has intended to reduce costs without sacrificing quality in the delivery of energy efficiency services, while broadening CONAE s outreach. The PACs Program Objectives To provide technical assistance in the field of energy efficiency to consumers throughout the country To assist energy users in the identification of energy savings potentials in specific areas To assist consumers in establishing the economic and financial feasibility of energy efficiency projects To provide the guidance and information desired on energy efficiency and renewable energy 1 "This case study was prepared by CONAE with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development." 2 Laura Van Wie McGrory, Jeff Harris et al Market Leadership by Example: Government Sector Energy Efficiency in Developing Countries, [see References: 1]. 1

2 Description Background In order to meet its wide-ranging mandate to provide technical assistance on energy efficiency to federal bureaus and offices throughout Mexico, as well as to extend these same services to municipal and state governments, CONAE began providing technical assistance directly from its central Mexico City office in the early 90s. Beginning in 1993, these efforts were supplemented by a few regional delegations called Liaison Units for Energy Efficiency (U3Es). These U3Es are now present in 14 different states and adjoining regions 3 where the regional managers work in close collaboration with local authorities, industrial associations and higher education centers. At their inception, the U3Es promoted energy efficiency by visiting a limited number of industrial and commercial facilities to perform walk-through (or Level 1 ) energy audits sometimes followed by more comprehensive studies to identify specific energy-saving measures. Today, the U3Es also have become active, sometimes together with private firms or state and municipal agencies, in training facilities personnel and in organizing local events. Given the usual budget restrictions for both CONAE and many of its local counterparts, together with the growing national demand for technical assistance in energy efficiency, in 1997 CONAE set out a new strategy called Virtual CONAE in order to widen the reach and scope of its technical assistance activities. Virtual CONAE Strategy The basic strategy developed for Virtual CONAE was centered on the use of the Internet to: a) Link U3Es and their customers to other research centers, energy efficiency offices, and financing institutions, both in Mexico and worldwide; and b) Broaden and accelerate the technical assistance to energy users in the form of updated economic and technical information, including software tools for evaluating and developing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Virtual CONAE is an information system operating through CONAE s Website 4 that allows users to automatically access CONAE s methodologies to evaluate both energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Furthermore, CONAE s Web site provides 3 U3E s expand their activities when possible or upon request to nearby states that do not have a U3E established. Interview with Fernando Sánchez Monter, CONAE- Director of Support for the U3Es, August 21,

3 information on energy efficiency products and services, consulting firms and research institutions in Mexico 5. In order to implement this strategy CONAE began establishing a number of Ports of Attention (PACs) to provide low-cost and high-quality technical assistance to potential users who did not have access to the Internet. At that time, Internet facilities were scarce in many small cities and firms, and some government offices, mainly in municipalities, also did not have access to the Internet. The program s evolution Since their inception in 1997, PACs have gradually proliferated throughout the country, some of them becoming more sophisticated and specialized. For instance, besides offering relevant linkages for energy efficiency or providing on-line technical assistance for consumers who do not have access to the Internet, some PACs have been supporting facility operators and other co-workers interested in implementing energy efficiency projects. Very soon, PACs started to show a promising evolution and today many have triggered a multiplier effect locally (at the state or municipal level) by promoting the creation of additional, sometimes specialized, PACs. For example, in the hot northern states of Sonora and Baja California, besides the local U3E, there are 8 PACs each, most of which focus primarily on the high electricity consumption from air conditioning. The industrial state of Nuevo Leon, also with extremely long hot summers, houses 10 PACs. As of 2002, there were more than 100 PACs, with all 31 Mexican states represented. In addition, PACs are present in several dozen energy efficiency events across the country each year. Over time many PACs have specialized. Currently, the PACs are classified in three types, depending on the type of energy user to which they provide assistance: 1. PACs for municipal and state governments. These PACs are located in state or municipal government offices and are formed by an agreement among CONAE, the National Bank for Public Woks (Banobras) and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). CONAE provides technical assistance mainly through performing energy studies to identify operational or technological savings opportunities 6. CFE supplies CONAE relevant data to carry out the studies and finally Banobras provides financing to carry out the measures proposed. 5 CONAE. Nueva Estrategia de Asistencia Técnica: Centros de Asistencia Técnica y Franquicias CONAE. México, 1997 pg 7. 6 The energy savings measures that CONAE usually recommends are either technological,which imply upgrading or substituting obsolete conventional equipment, or operational, which normally cost nothing since they are just simple measures such as conveniently turning off unnecessary lights. 3

4 2. PACs for households. These are located in public high schools, as their operators do not require specialized training. They register the users help them download the forms to carry out a residential energy study, and then assist them in sending the completed forms to central CONAE for evaluation. These PACs also promote an energy efficiency culture among the students. 3. PACs for businesses and industries. These PACs are located either in higher education centers such as technical institutes and universities, or in trade associations and industrial chambers. There are also PACs established to address subjects such as energy and the environment or renewable energy technologies. This is the case for one PAC located in the state of Mexico that currently is leading a collaboration among the municipal government, the Institute for Electricity Research (IIE), CONAE and Mexico s Oil Institute (IMP) to analyze a proposal to generate up to 6 MW of electricity through biogas from solid waste 7. Organization The PACs are low-cost technical assistance units; each PAC requires only a computer connected to the Web and an operator. Their basic function is to assist energy users in identifying energy savings potentials and evaluating the economic feasibility of specific measures. PACs have their own site within CONAE s Web page which provide operators with updated information on CONAE s tools and methods and allows them to exchange information with central CONAE s staff 8. This site publishes a monthly bulletin, NotiPac, which documents PACs activities and successes. A PAC is established through an agreement between CONAE and interested counterpart institutions. These are normally higher education centers, state government offices or local industrial chambers. Training the PAC operators is a key ongoing task for CONAE. By 2002, more than 300 people have been trained on issues such as CONAE s basic methodologies 9. Before 2002 central CONAE provided the training. At present that activity is done by the U3Es. The operators of the PACs located in higher-education centers are normally engineering students who have fulfilled 75% or more of their course requirements. Besides CONAE s training, these operators regularly receive training from their university or technical institutions, along with support from their teachers and access to specialized libraries Interview with Jaime Brash, Responsible for PACs Supervision at Central CONAE, August 16, Morales, Francisco. Los Puertos de Atención CONAE. CONAE. Internal documents. April The analysis methodologies help energy-end users to identify energy efficiency and conservation opportunities in public and building lighting as well as in the major energy-intensive industrial processes such as steam generation and distribution, cooling towers, demand control, cogeneration, process heaters, industrial refrigeration among others. 10 Interview with Jaime Brash, August 16,

5 Resources As mentioned, a typical newly created PAC requires only a relatively small office space and a computer. Normally the host institution provides the operator. Through regional managers from either CONAE s U3Es offices or qualified staff from its central office, training and permanent advising are readily available for the operator. CONAE does not support the PACs with funding for salaries, office space, or computers; only the training and back-up technical assistance are provided. A few PAC operators are paid salaries (by the local counterpart), but many are students who are meeting their social service obligation (a graduation requirement in all Mexican universities). Others use a PAC assignment as an undergraduate thesis topic, and some get course credits. 11 Results, benefits and lessons learned PACs have turned out to be a very successful story in energy efficiency activities in Mexico. The main stakeholders -- energy users, host institutions and operators -- have found that a variety of benefits can be derived from CONAE s PACs network. Examples of these benefits can be found in various types of PACs. In 2001, a PAC established under the CONAE-Banobras agreement in the state of Guerrero supported three municipalities (Coyuca de Benítez, Atoyac de Álvarez and Benito Juárez) in the analysis of their public lighting equipment. The audits yielded potential savings of approximately 50%with proposed investments that could be recovered in less than three years 12. (Annex 1). Furthermore, in 2002, this same PAC also helped the municipality of Tecpan de Galeana to perform a public lighting energy study. The study revealed that almost 2,500 obsolete conventional lighting fixtures could be substituted by efficient equipment, thus reducing the public lighting electricity bill by more than 75% -- over 170,000, kwh per month, equivalent to US$20, Industrial PACs have also shown great success. In 2002, operators from the PAC located in the Toluca Institute of Technology (ITT) provided technical assistance to a Coca-Cola Company Plant situated in Altamirano, Guerrero. The operators visited the plant and performed energy studies of the plant s lighting, its steam generation and distribution systems, as well as some of its industrial processes. This group recommended several operational and low investment measures during its visit and reported potential electricity savings of US$12,400 per year and primary fuel consumption savings of approximately US$11,500 annually 14. Nowadays, a Coca-Cola 11 ibid. 12 CONAE. NotiPAC Year 1, October, CONAE. NotiPAC Year 2, February, Interview to Eng. Alejandro Linares, Promoter of the U3E in the Mexico State. August 20,

6 Committee is evaluating the possibility of implementing the measures proposed by CONAE. In 2001, the ITT PAC also provided technical assistance to a public hospital from the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). CONAE, through this PAC, performed a lighting assessment of the IMSS East Delegation which yielded potential electricity savings of US$3,000 per year. By substituting obsolete lighting equipment with efficient models, an initial investment of US$7,600 dollars could be recovered in less than three years. One of the students of the ITT documented this experience in his/her undergraduate thesis 15. The PAC located in the San Juan del Río Technological University in 2002 assisted the contractor that was building the University library in an assessment of the lighting system. The analysis was performed through the PAC by CONAE s central office and it allowed a significant reduction in the electricity load while actually increasing the facility s illumination levels 16. Clearly, the PACs have provided a multitude of benefits for the various parties involved. For energy users 17, the PACs constitute: Access to qualified, specialized and personalized technical assistance A partner in the feasibility stage of their energy efficiency projects Significant reductions in transaction costs, i.e., they speed the identification of opportunities for energy savings at a low cost. For the participating host institutions 18 PACs provide: Free promotion in Mexico and membership in the network Access to CONAE s technical assistance, through the Web and , for proper use of CONAE s specialized software Training A valuable partner in one area of its mission. For PAC operators, benefits include 19 : 15 Quiroz Suárez, Eduardo Antonio. Lighting Assessment to the IMSS East Delegation. Memory of the Social Service performed to Obtain the Title of Electro-mechanic Engineer. Metepec, México. February, CONAE, through the PAC, also informed the contractor of some aspects that were being ignored in the project such as the level of lighting and other points specified the Mexican regulation (NOM-007-ENER-1995) Idem. 6

7 Valuable work experience, including the development of professional ties with industrial companies and public sector agencies, as well as with CONAE and its partners Expanded skills and expertise, both from on-the-job training and from the CONAE staff s training and mentoring Fulfillment of the student social service obligation, along with possible undergraduate thesis topics and course credits (for student operators) Major Lessons The PACs program shows that on-site promotion of energy efficiency activities (as initially performed by the central office of CONAE and continued by the U3Es) permits the identification of local partners that will support the operation of a PAC The success of the PACs program is based on a strategic alliance between two stakeholders who know that their alliance is a win-win situation: CONAE complies with the general goals of its mandate to conserve Mexico s energy and the local counterpart expands its outreach, increases its institutional knowledge, and obtains training for its employees, students, or members (depending on who the operator is) If successfully carried out from the start, a program for establishing a national network of PACs will trigger a multiplier effect that stimulates network growth on its own Conclusions CONAE has built a robust national PACs network which experienced steady growth in the late 1990s and early 2000s and seems poised for further expansion. CONAE believes that the biggest asset of the PACs is their enhancement of cooperation and coordination among the public and private sector participants. This partnering leads to the successful projects and programs on energy efficiency that promote CONAE s ultimate goal: saving energy. And by utilizing the Internet, the PACs program has reduced costs and maintained quality while substantially expanding CONAE s reach in promoting energy efficiency in Mexico. The PACs network has become an important source for specialized training and for communicating to the broader public on the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and their attendant environmental benefits. Through the PACs these benefits 19 Laura Van Wie. et. al. 7

8 are not only enunciated with proven methodologies but many times are illustrated with real-life experiences. The PACs network experience runs parallel to the growth, development and maturity of the Internet in Mexico. Hence, even though this success could be replicated in another country, a careful assessment of the current state and potential development of Internet availability at the target level should be conducted beforehand. Another crucial element to consider perhaps even more important -- is the strength of the central energy office in terms of its capabilities (technical and technological) as well as in the quality and amount of personnel available to respond to regional needs and requirements. For More Information Contacts: Name Organization Telephone E mail José González CONAE (Intl. Affairs) (52 55) (in Mexico City) asesor@conae.gob.mx Francisco Morales CONAE (Coordinación de Proyectos Especiales) (52 55) (in Mexico City) pr@conae.gob.mx Source materials: Website: Case Study Documentation Country Mexico Program ID # Program type (using PEPS classification) Keywords :Mexico, CONAE, Public Sector; Ports of Attention, PACs, Energy Savings, Program Prepared by Ana Romo, José González and Miguel Breceda; date: July 4,

9 1 Market Leadership by Example: Government Sector Energy Efficiency in Developing Countries, Laura Van Wie McGrory, Jeffrey Harris, Miguel Breceda, Stephanie Campbell, Mirka della Cava, José González Martínez, Sarah Meyer, Ana Romo. This work was cosponsored by the Alliance to Save Energy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CONAE, the US Agency for International Development (US AID), and the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the US Department of Energy. 2 CONAE. Nueva Estrategia de Asistencia Técnica: Centros de Asistencia Técnica y Franquicias CONAE. México D.F., CONAE. NotiPAC Year 1, October, CONAE. NotiPAC Year 2, February, Quiroz Suárez, Eduardo Antonio. Lighting Assessment to the IMSS East Delegation. Memory of the Social Service performed to Obtain the Title of Electro-mechanic Engineer. Metepec, Mexico. February, Morales, Francisco. Los Puertos de Atención CONAE. CONAE. Internal documents. April