Designing for a

Sustainable Future
power Engineers Corporate Sustainability Report 2012

Designing for a Sustainable Future:

POWER Strategies and Solutions

Message from the President and CEO

Sustainability. What does this term mean at POWER? During the initial ownership transition in 1998, we used this word often. It described our view on where POWER could and should go. At that time, we wanted to create a company that was focused on employees and clients and would be sustainable for the long term. We wanted to develop a company that would stand the test of time, providing our employees with good benefits, good income, and the opportunity to work on fun and challenging projects. We also wanted to develop a philosophy that encouraged our clients to utilize our expertise year in and year out. Our goal was to create a sustainable company. As of today, I believe weve accomplished this goal. Weve developed a culture and business philosophy that works in the best interest of our company, our clients, and, of course, our employees. Today, weve expanded our definition of the word. We still believe it means we must create something that benefits all for the long term. But weve specifically grown our view to include not just the company, clients, and employees, but also our planet. We cant fix the problem overnight, alone or completely, but we can sure be part of the solution. POWER recently created a Corporate Sustainability Committee to address basic behavioral issues as they relate to sustainability. The group is exploring how we can be better stewards of the planet and how, as a company, we can create a sustainable environment that allows all of us to live within the constraints of our planet. The committee is creating design philosophies that not only seek long term, sustainable solutions, but economic ones as well. We are very involved and need to stay involved. Several employees, in fact, participate in national programs and present sustainable design practices to international audiences. In some areas, were sustainability thought leaders.

Alta Wind Farm, CA.

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Corporate Responsibility

POWERs sustainability program consists of two parts: company operations and engineering design. We operate our business in a sustainable fashion, which includes implementing energy and materials conservation measures, maintaining a healthy workplace, and developing relationships with the surrounding community. In 2009, POWER created a Corporate Sustainability Committee to lead our efforts and provide our management team insight into the industry as well as internal operations. Its a way to ensure POWER Engineers stays responsible and practices what we preach. But POWERs most effective pathway to making a difference for future generations is in how we approach each consulting opportunity provided to us. In our interactions with our clients, POWER Engineers promotes sustainable design and construction practices. We strive to educate our clients about a projects impact on the environment and lead them to choices that meet their needs and objectives while still limiting that environmental impact. Since our core industries are so diverse, for this report we split out the different divisions to highlight each ones sustainability focus.

Sustainable Vision Statement

POWER Engineers understands that every project we undertake has an impact on the earth, its resources, and society. We believe it is important to do our very best to help meet the worlds present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.

Installation of a combined cycle unit at a California power plant.

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Power Delivery: A Paradigm Shift in Transmission

Sustainability has not become a widely acknowledged priority for players in the transmission side of the bulk energy business. Safety and performance considerations tend to take precedence over cost and sustainability concerns in planning, constructing, and operating transmission lines. Coming to embrace all these considerations is a paradigm shift that must occur for those owners, designers, builders, and operators with the worlds future generations in mind. POWER is a strong advocate for this shift.

There are always ways we can use less and focus on global environmental concerns. Better systems and processes mean more sustainable energy delivery, and POWER challenges itself with each project to continually improve our processes.

We at POWER Engineers propose three guiding principles aimed at improving a transmission line projects contribution to sustainability:

1
Better systems and processes mean more sustainable energy delivery, and POWER challenges itself with each project to continually improve our processes.

Whatever materials are to be used, use less.

There are many opportunities for materials reduction in the installation and maintenance of transmission facilities. Measurement of materials used should be factors in early design decisions.

Some materials should not be used.

When a material, product, or technology is in some way poisonous to something in the environment, it is not enough to just reduce its use it must be eliminated completely.

Some materials add to efficiency.

Some materials add to efficiency. Herein lies the exception to the use less principle: Greater aluminum content in conductors leads to reduced energy loss in transmission, so aluminum content well above the classic optimum is ideal for conservation of fossil fuels. The overall cost will be less in the long run.

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Texas CREZ projects.

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Power Generation: The POWER Sustainability Review

The POWER Generation team has developed a type of audit program which defines, identifies, assesses and summarizes design, construction, and operational alternatives for more sustainable generation projects. The program, known as the POWER Sustainability Review, uses a set of predefined parameters and rankings and is documented to demonstrate upon completion the projects commitment to sustainable principles. The Sustainability Review encourages a holistic perspective and clear goals as we consider short- and long-term effects on local and regional environments and economies.

Its open-ended nature involves the owner, owners engineers, plant personnel, and contractors in discussion and generation of ideas. There are always ways we can reduce energy consumption, lower operating costs, and improve overall system performance. Better systems and processes lead to energy savings, payback, less maintenance and repair, and improved uptime. It is POWERs responsibility to go beyond and design those better systems.

These audit principles provide a platform to educate owners and contractors on topics such as:

best suited to the local conditions, workforce, and carbon footprint.

to maximize local content and knowledge transfer.

from the plant in addition to electrical production best suited to the locale.

The Sustainability Review encourages a holistic perspective and clear goals as we consider short- and long-term effects on local and regional environments and economies.

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Technology and equipment selection.

Alternative methods of construction

Project management structures

Assessment of all resource and revenue streams

47 MW Germencik dual-flash geothermal power plant in Turkey.

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Facilities & the Food & Beverage Industry: Overall Lifecycle Solutions

POWER

Engineers

strives

to

implement

high-

POWER also focuses on combined heat and power solutions for our clients to help reduce utility costs at their plants. POWER helps facilities optimize utility production, distribution, and usage, offering innovative and cost-effective solutions geared toward the specific needs of our customers that improve reliability, reduce brown-outs, support standby, and save money. POWER Engineers remains a member of the U.S. Green

performance buildings that incorporate energy-efficient design by identifying alternative technologies and solutions suitable for the operating environment. We work with our clients to compute overall lifecycle costs of a project. While initial project costs may increase for sustainable design, lifecycle costs can be reduced, resulting in a lower cost over time. For example, we conduct sun studies to analyze plant orientation and the availability of sunlight to adapt a plant to solar energy generation and savings. Furthermore, attention to equipment, water, energy consumption, and power quality can result in some of the greatest resource savings for a facility. We have helped our clients save significant amounts of money through the use of filtered recirculation systems for rinse water and the installation of more efficient cooling, heating, and lighting systems.

Building Council (USGBC)the organization that developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system. LEED provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Attention to equipment, water, energy consumption, and power quality can result in some of the greatest resource savings for a facility.
The logo is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and is used by permission.
Lifting a chiller unit above downtown Portlands busy streets for a 5th floor installation.

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Communications: Mitigating Impact on Sensitive Landscapes

Installation of communications systems can potentially interfere with natural landscapes and native species, and POWER recognizes that danger and seeks to minimize the impact. Before POWER designs the placement of a fiber optic cable network for faster internet speeds, we perform an extensive environmental impact analysis on the proposed right of way for the fiber installation. Our surveyors attempt to mitigate any impact to sensitive landscapes. POWER is committed to using existing cable pathways whenever possible to avoid additional impact. When it is required by state and local land use regulations and policies, POWERs communications designers rely on our internal biological specialists to provide ecological knowledge to ensure valuable habitat is protected. POWER is committed to working with product distributors that have reduced packaging systems to lessen waste at the job site and to help clients earn LEED certification points. In addition, POWERs Communications division assists clients with ways to improve their data centers Power Usage Effectiveness score, which is used to determine a centers energy efficiency. POWERs designers can update data center facilities to lessen the amount of power used versus the amount of computing output it makes possible.

POWERs communications designers rely on our internal biological specialists to provide ecological knowledge to ensure valuable habitat is protected.

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Fiber Optic innerduct installation in Sacramento, CA.

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Environmental: Minimizing the Development Risk

Protecting a projects surrounding environment and community is an important part of POWERs approach to sustainable development in all our projects. Our staff of professional scientists and resources specialists provides a wide range of environmental planning, compliance, and permitting services that help mitigate our projects effects on all areas of local life: natural habitat, social expectations, politics, the economy, and governance. POWERs environmental group performs environmental feasibility screening and studies of a project area. Depending on the scale and impact of the construction project, a rigorous environmental planning process may be undertaken to examine the impacts of any construction project. Consistent with federal and state siting requirements, project feasibility screening and studies involve the evaluation of potential sites while balancing needs, agency and public concerns, resource impacts, and the construction projects technical specifications. To do this, the team incorporates our fully developed public involvement programs and detailed resource assessment.

Our public involvement programs help public officials make better decisions based on an understanding of environmental consequences, and to take actions that protect, restore, and enhance the human environment. Public comment and sentiment are rich sources of information about peoples values and philosophies, and our public involvement specialists solicit input and translate these values and philosophies into meaningful information to guide the environmental feasibility screening and study process. Through our environmental planning process, we find pathways to success for sustainable and clean energy construction projects, both in generation and transmission. These undertakings help satisfy the growing customer demand for renewable energy; help meet renewable energy portfolio standards; provide safe, efficient, and reliable infrastructure; and reduce the variability of renewable energy by connecting geographically diverse resources with transmission.

Protecting a projects surrounding environment and to sustainable development in all our projects.

community is an important part of POWERs approach

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Wetlands delineation in Washington State.

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Federal Market: Staying Focused on Sustainability Priorities

The U.S. government is expanding its clean energy options to power everything from the lights in its domestic offices to the computers and ice machines at remote, international military installations. POWER brings the technical savvy and cutting-edge renewables expertise to make sure operational mission objectives are met. The governments military services are aggressively incorporating renewable energy on installations domestically and internationally, and POWER is answering the call with its full spectrum of energy capabilities. POWER works with military bases, government agencies, and international government clients to directly address the governments energy goals. POWERs extensive project portfolio for the US government includes renewable installations that rely on wind, solar, and geothermal generation, and the secure transmission and delivery of energy.

POWERs Federal Division is currently designing a USTDA-funded photovoltaic power plant in Morocco that will help Morocco gain profitable energy independence. Closer to home, POWER is addressing the security implications of energy use, including potential vulnerabilities at military bases as a result of grid disruptions. POWERs clients, including the Department of Defense, rely on POWER to provide enhancements to power generation and provide a back-up plan for emergency power during a utility blackout. POWER is responding to the federal governments energy goals through the design of energy-efficient facility installations and renovations to existing facilities and power installations.

Renovating
existing installations.

Expanding
the supply of clean energy options.

Addressing
the security implications of energy use.

POWER brings the technical savvy and

cutting-edge renewables expertise to make sure operational mission objectives are met.

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POWERs Federal Division supports the governments clean energy initiatives and has the expertise to respond to the governments current and future sustainability priorities including:

A 105 MW heavy fuel diesel power plant operating near Kabul, Afghanistan.

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International Markets: Sustainable Design in Developing Countries

In emerging marketplaces around the world, POWER is helping nations create new jobs and breathe better air by the planning, design, and development of power generated from sustainable sources. More and more of the worlds renewable energy capacity is consumed in developing countries, and we are helping this trend thrive through expert technical advice and designs. POWER teams support and advise international governments and agencies as they develop plans to use geothermal, solar, and wind projects to bring thousands of megawatts of renewable energy to their countries. And beyond the planning, we have been instrumental in getting renewable systems on line for 15 years as design engineers, owners engineers, and construction supervisors. Finally, the globe is circled by geothermal plants on which we were the principal designer. Teaming with the worlds premier geothermal turbine suppliers, we have put 700 MW of sustainable energy to work, often where it is needed most, into the electrical systems powering emerging economies and aspiring homes.

POWER is helping nations create new jobs and breathe better air by the planning, design, and development of power generated from sustainable sources.

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Geothermal plant construction.

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power Engineers Corporate Sustainability Report 2012 www.powereng.com