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Duke Energy’s Power Partners – Committed to Innovative Energy Solutions


WEBWIRE

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Duke Energy today announced its 2009 Power Partners.

All of this year’s winners share a commitment to the innovative use of energy and represent partnering relationships that benefit Duke Energy as well as the customer or organization.

This distinguished award was created in 1992 to encourage and recognize customers who go “above and beyond” in the areas of customer satisfaction, energy efficiency and business growth.

“Duke Energy congratulates the 2009 Power Partner award winners, and applauds their commitment to smart energy usage, business success and good citizenship in their communities,” said Tony Almeida, vice president of large business customers.

The 2009 Duke Energy Power Partner award winners are:

Amylin Ohio LLC. - West Chester, Ohio

Amylin recognized from the outset that power quality was a mission-critical requirement for its manufacturing operations. After joint consultation, Amylin and Duke Energy decided that the best way to ensure a high level of electric reliability would be to build a new substation on the company’s property. The new substation’s large capacity would also allow Duke Energy to serve other customers in this high-growth industrial area.

Cummins Inc.- Columbus, Indiana

Cummins, a global leader in clean diesel and natural gas engines, power generation and related technologies, has joined the EPA Climate Leaders program and set an aggressive goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2010. Cummins launched a corporatewide energy efficiency initiative as the chief way to meet the GHG reduction. To leverage Cummins’ internal capabilities and move quickly on capital improvements the company sought a partner with strong energy engineering and project management skills.

Cummins partnered with Duke Energy for its expertise in energy efficiency and energy systems management. Duke Energy conducted detailed energy efficiency assessments at Cummins’ largest U.S. sites and identified nearly 1,000 potential capital projects. Duke was also extensively involved with Cummins in its development of new efficiency standards for production equipment and facility design, along with an Energy Champions training program to improve energy use in operations. With Duke Energy as its Energy Partner, this Power Partner is well on track to meeting its 2010 Climate Leaders commitment to the environment.

Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS) - Greenville, South Carolina

To a hospital, electric service is a lifeline, with zero tolerance for disruption of vital medical procedures and services. When the Patewood Memorial Hospital opened in 2008, Duke Energy worked with GHS to provide an alternate electrical supply from separate substations and transmission lines to enhance reliability. The electrical supply to the Patewood Central Energy Plant allows operators to select electricity from either of two nearby substations, providing greater reliability and better climate control for the entire Patewood campus.

In addition, a new 12-megawatt electric boiler in the Central Energy Plant can fuel-switch between natural gas and electricity to serve the campus’s steam needs, saving energy dollars for GHS.

Hamrick Mills - Gaffney, South Carolina

To improve the mill’s operational efficiency and to lower its energy costs, Hamrick Mills has taken full advantage of two programs recently made available to Duke’s large-business customers in the Carolinas – PowerShare® and Smart $aver®. Hamrick Mills became Duke Energy’s first PowerShare® customer in South Carolina. The company now receives substantial PowerShare® credits for curtailing its energy load, while helping Duke Energy meet peak demand on its system.

The mill also replaced all of its indoor lighting and installed highly efficient production equipment to replace and upgrade existing equipment, and added controls to its air wash systems. Two century-old companies, Hamrick Mills and Duke Energy, are working in partnership to keep the textile industry alive and textile workers employed in South Carolina.

IBM - Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Duke Energy worked closely with local IBM personnel to position the Research Triangle Park site with IBM Corporate as the preferred location for a new environmentally sound data center. The site was selected largely because of its low operating costs and outstanding electric power reliability.

Advanced meters installed at the new data center allow IBM to trim its electric bill by curtailing power usage during periods of high demand and take advantage of Duke’s PowerShare® demand-response program.

IBM, in partnership with Duke Energy, has installed a 12-megawatt electric boiler; is implementing energy efficiency projects to improve air conditioning performance and efficiency, including expansion of its thermal energy storage system at the site; and designed and put in place a whole-site lightning protection scheme.

IBM is a true Power Partner – as an efficient and environmentally responsible large-scale energy user, and a pro-business champion in the Carolinas.

Ingersoll Rand - Mocksville, North Carolina

In this fragile economy, Duke Energy and Ingersoll Rand are partners in keeping energy and production costs low, thereby allowing Ingersoll Rand to better meet the needs of its customers.

To reduce costs and leverage production capabilities, Ingersoll Rand decided to consolidate the production of air compressor equipment into its facility in Mocksville. The move saved local jobs, as Davidson employees were offered the opportunity to transfer to the Mocksville plant.

As part of the move to Mocksville, Duke Energy provided a “Stat Var” to improve reliability related to the testing of large air compressor motors. Duke Energy also provided a dedicated power supply to the site, reconfigured an on-site substation, performed energy assessments and conducted operational cost analysis. By working together, Ingersoll Rand was able to keep their overall costs as low as possible.

KobeWieland Copper Products - Pine Hall, North Carolina

Duke Energy’s competitive rates, reliable service and financial incentives helped expand the plant and allowed one of Stokes County’s largest employers to keep its doors open and more than 450 people employed, including 65 new jobs.

KobeWieland expanded to implement a state-of-the-art production technology known as “cast and roll,” which allows tubing to be produced in much larger rolls. This reduced setup time for customers and minimized KobeWieland’s scrap waste, all while increasing its production yield.

Duke performed the engineering design as well as a turnkey medium-voltage infrastructure project that included cabling, switchgear, and backup generation for its new induction furnace. The company continues to evaluate Duke’s energy efficiency offerings, including PowerShare®, Duke’s new demand response program.

National Gypsum Co. - Mount Holly, North Carolina

National Gypsum’s new Mount Holly plant, which opened in 2007, sparked a unique partnership with Duke Energy. Duke not only provides the electricity to the plant, but also provides the raw material – gypsum – used in the manufacturing of wallboard.

This agreement provides a recycling opportunity and eliminates the need for long-term storage of the gypsum at power plants.

Duke Energy has also selected National Gypsum’s Mount Holly site for its N.C. Solar Distributed Generation program. The rooftop panels are expected to deliver more than 1,000 kilowatts of solar power onto Duke’s distribution system, and become a showcase for “green power” in North Carolina. This strategic partnership is at the essence of sustainable communities – demonstrating that what is waste for one entity can be a useful, cost-effective and environmentally responsible product for another.

NetApp Inc. - Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

In 2008, NetApp set out to expand its local footprint by building a corporate data center on the RTP campus. Duke Energy moved quickly to install the electrical infrastructure needed to meet the new data center’s power requirements.

The building was designed using NetApp’s proprietary pressure controlled cooling technology – eliminating the need for high-energy cooling systems most of the year and reducing annual energy use by up to 80 percent. Compared to other data center designs, the building’s annual utility savings are estimated at approximately $6 million.

NetApp continues to look for innovative approaches to energy through sustainable energy practices.

United Dairy Farmers (UDF) - Cincinnati, Ohio

Approximately half of United Dairy Farmers’ 200 stores are located in Duke Energy Ohio’s service area. While the family-owned chain strives to create an old-fashioned
atmosphere with hand-dipped ice cream in its stores, it’s clearly on the cutting edge when it comes to efficiency.

Duke Energy created a customized incentive program to encourage UDF’s efforts to aggressively manage its energy consumption. In fact, the utility incorporated several of UDF’s ideas into its new regulatory model for energy efficiency in Ohio.

* By the end of 2009, UDF will have energy management systems and LED (light-emitting diode) lighting in approximately 100 stores.
* Approximately 100 stores will have energy efficient in-store lighting and about 80 will have LED canopy lighting (over gas pumps) by 2010.
* UDF is also evaluating the replacement of all existing fan motors for interior refrigeration equipment to new motors which reduces energy consumption significantly.

Working with Duke Energy, UDF management continues to search for new ways to make the 70-year-old company a 21st century model of efficiency.



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