Prior to the ener.CON Europe 2014, we spoke to Dr. Steven Driver, Energy Director / Global Engineering, Genzyme Corporation

1. Interview
Genzyme Corporation / USA
Dr. Steven Driver
Energy Director / Global Engineering
Prior to the ener.CON Europe 2014, we spoke to Dr. Steven Driver, Energy Director / Global
Engineering, Genzyme Corporation
we.CONECT:
In your opinion - what are the main
current energy efficiency challenges
and trends regarding the management
and optimization of asset intensive
industries and what are the specific
challenges related to your company?
Dr. Steven Driver: Some of the main
challenges are financial constraints
around implementing energy / carbon
reduction projects. There is still a myth
out there that investing in energy does
not return on investment. Recently, we
have been utilizing utility incentives
which reduce the cost of projects. A
second and important challenge is
implementing
energy
conservation
measures in regulated spaces (reduced
air changes, sequence of operation
changes, temperature, and humidity). It
is possible to do this work, however
involvement with quality groups and the
process of re-validation can be time
consuming
and
costly.
Energy
conservation work in regulated spaces
requires a risk analysis, and upon
completion of that analysis, only then can
the energy project be completed. We
have
learned
excessive
energy
consumption can be a sign of equipment
abnormal operation which can put
products at risk. The interrelationship
between energy and reliability provides a
critical understanding of the stability and
condition of our assets which we rely
upon for manufacturing products.
we.CONECT:
Which challenges do you foresee will
take place in 2014/2015 concerning
energy
efficiency
regulations/standards
and
requirements (i.e. requirements that
derive from the EED)?
Dr. Steven Driver: In 2014 and on, we
see emissions requirements becoming
more stringent in the United States.
Currently in there are State mandated
energy and emission laws around new
constructions and renovations. Leading
organizations like the American Heating
& Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE)
and
Building
Officials
&
Code
Administrators International (BOCA) are
referenced in the energy codes.
Currently there is no carbon tax in the
United States; however, there has been
a recent focus on reducing carbon. In
2009, President Obama made a pledge
that by 2020, America would reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions in the range
of 17 percent below 2005 levels, if all
other major economies agreed to limit
their emissions as well. A few initiatives
around this plan aim at cutting emissions
in power plants, promoting leadership in
renewable energy, accelerating clean
energy permitting, and modernizing the
existing electric grid.
and measurements are you deriving
from it?
we.CONECT:
Which
main
regulations
and
certifications influenced your work in
the past 12 months and which ones
will be important in the future?
we.CONECT:
How do you measure and analyze the
cost-benefit ratio of energy efficiency
management?
Dr. Steven Driver: Many large
corporations
have
realized
the
importance around carbon reduction and
have established goals and objectives to
meet those targets. Making a public
commitment to reduce carbon and be an
active part of the Carbon Disclosure
Project (CDP) has provided Sanofi /
Genzyme
market
exposure
demonstrating a corporate commitment
to improve our environment. To support
our carbon reduction program, we are in
the process of implementing the
International
Organization
for
Standardization
ISO50001
(Energy
Management) in some of our facilities.
This
management
system,
when
implemented, will provide an energy
baseline and guidance to maintain a
successful energy program.
we.CONECT:
How does your company react to this
wave of change and which strategies
Dr. Steven Driver: Currently the
company is reacting well to this recent
change. Genzyme, a subsidiary of
Sanofi, has had an established energy
program for the past 4 years. The
program has been successful and
yielded over 10,000 MTCO2 with
significant cost savings. Currently the
projected net present value of the
program is $7,390,510 USD with an
internal rate of return of 73%. Sanofi, the
parent company has created a North
America Energy Team, which will
eventually guide and track energy
program performance for all their
business acquisitions in North America,
Genzyme included.
Dr.
Steven
Driver:
All
energy
conservation measures are put in
financial terms of NPV and IRR which
enables us to make intelligent business
decisions on what investment we should
make. All of Genzyme’s identified energy
conservation measures are scaled to
determine
the
feasibility
of
implementation (financial return, timing,
and complexity of implementation). Once
projects are implemented, they are
measured and verified for performance
and financially monitored. The project
portfolio measured for total investment
which includes the cost of energy audits,
salaries, training, and certifications
required to maintain the program.
we.CONECT:
The training session you will present
will
focus
on:
“Understanding
Sustainable Building Commissioning
and Interrelationship with Energy and
Carbon Savings”. Could you briefly

2. introduce us to the topic and its key
leanings?
Dr. Steven Driver: Due to proprietary
barriers, up to 2010 there was no study
completed comparing the performance of
building commissioning technologies.
From the completed research we have
learned the process of retroactive
commissioning (RCx: human intelligence
correct
issues)
and
ongoing
commissioning
(OCx:
artificial
intelligence -computers identify issues)
need to be combined into one service.
The importance of this topic is to deliver
an important message that the process
of
energy
management
and
commissioning is currently not a
sustainable process. Many still don’t
understand the return on investment or
the value proposition associated with
these services. An emphasis needs to be
placed upon deployment of annual
energy
auditing,
retroactive
commissioning,
and
ongoing
commissioning / energy modeling to
achieve higher levels of reduced carbon
and significant returns on investment.
we.CONECT:
How different will be the energy
efficiency management for asset
intensive industries in the year 2020
compared to today’s situation?
Dr. Steven Driver: As new facilities are
constructed, the level of automation for
critical equipment and the supporting
infrastructure
will
become
more
advanced. Automation systems will
encompass not only the building support
systems, but process equipment as well.
Given this level of automation, I see
energy efficiency management for assets
becoming more centralized unlike the decentralized systems we deal with today.
we.CONECT:
Which challenge/topic would you like
to discuss with your peers / other
delegates at the ener.CON Europe
2014?
Dr. Steven Driver: I would like to
discuss what others, in regulated
industries
like
biotechnology
and
pharmaceutical, are facing with the
implementation of energy conservation
measures in context of regulated
environments. I would also like to learn
more about what some of the relative
pay backs on investments are for other
companies given various locations
around the world. Learning what others
are doing with their sustainability
programs would be beneficial as well.
we.CONECT:
Thanks a lot for this interview!
Interview Partner: Peter Haack and Dr.
Steven Driver.
Steven P. Driver, Ph.D., C.E.M. has over 25
years of experience in engineering, project
management, commissioning, and energy
auditing. Dr. Driver is an alumnus of
Northcentral University where he earned his
Ph.D. in Engineering and Technology (2010) in
building commissioning. He holds two
copyrights, has one publication
and a U.S. patent associated with building
commissioning technology. Having completed
numerous energy audits, both national and
international, he continues his mission to
reduce climate change through the use of
advanced technology. As Genzyme’s Energy
Program Director, he is responsible for a
10,000 metric ton carbon reduction and $3M
energy cost savings achieved in less than 3
years. He assisted Genzyme in meeting their
2007-12 greenhouse emissions goal of 25%
early resulting in the EPA Climate Leaders
Goal Achievement Award.
ener.CON Europe is the leading event for
improving energy efficiency for asset intensive
industries in Europe.
Information about the event and about
we.CONECT can be found at:
http://enercon2014.we-conect.com/en/
Contact:
Stefanie Nawrocki
Program Manager I Corporate, IT &
Manufacturing Division
Phone: +49 (0)30 52 10 70 3 – 47
Fax: +49 (0)30 52 10 70 3 – 30
Email: Stefanie.Nawrocki@we-conect.com
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