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Eight interns gear up for summer projects

This year, interns will be investigating energy efficiency and waste reduction measures for eight Minnesota companies. The interns will be responsible for developing effective solutions to help their facilities save costs, reduce regulatory compliance burden, and decrease environmental impacts. The 2010 intern projects include:

• 3M, Saint Paul: Evaluate fume hoods for energy efficiency and recommend changes/upgrades to increase efficiency.
• ConAgra Foods, Hastings: Evaluate and recommend solutions for energy efficiency in process equipment.
• Consolidated Precision Products, Bloomington: Evaluate energy efficiency of exhaust fans, lighting, and electric and natural gas melters and heat treat ovens.
• General Mills, Golden Valley: Determine feasibility and specification criteria for solvent recovery and reuse.
• Malt-O-Meal, Northfield: Address compressed air, steam, cooling water, and other areas for energy efficiency.
• ME Elecmetal, Duluth: Evaluate heat loss and energy efficiency of heat treat ovens, ladles, and other natural gas uses; investigate air vacuum and compressor systems.
• Melrose Dairy Proteins, Melrose: Address product recovery opportunities as well as water reuse potential.
• Valley Craft, Lake City: Investigate phosphate-free, low-temperature conversion coatings for paint line.

Of the eight interns, three will primarily address pollution prevention opportunities, while the other five will be more focused on energy efficiency.

This year, Xcel Energy has partnered with the MnTAP intern program to offer its customers the opportunity to participate in the program. Companies participating through the Xcel Energy partnership will receive a MnTAP intern at no cost and the intern will focus solely on energy efficiency opportunities. Two of the companies participating this year, Malt-O-Meal and 3M, are funded through this partnership. Additionally, Xcel Energy is providing partial sponsorship of the interns at ConAgra Foods and Consolidated Precision Products.

The MnTAP intern program has been successfully completing projects for businesses for 25 years. Over the past four years, MnTAP interns have helped participating businesses realize savings of over $1.2 million from implemented solutions. These companies have cumulatively improved their environmental impact by reducing over 60,000 pounds of waste, 23 million gallons of water, 13.4 million kWh, and 167,000 therms.

The 2010 interns will be presenting their projects at a public forum on August 19, 2010, at the University of Minnesota. For more information about the intern program, visit MnTAP’s intern pages or contact Krysta Larson, 612.624.4697.