Mack Trucks – Nalin Deshpande – 2016

Goals:

Having already hosted five EDF Climate Corps fellows since 2011, the majority of the “low-hanging fruit” at Mack Trucks Inc. had been picked. But, the company was confident that there is always more to be done, it is just a matter of identifying and acting upon it. Nalin Deshpande, another fellow, was brought in to obtain and investigate proposals for CO2-neutral projects and uncover the potential energy and cost savings. He too was tasked with supporting the energy team and a third-party consultant with the ISO 50001 re-certification audit.

Solutions:

Alongside of the energy team, Nalin took on an innovative project of converting all forklift/tugger electric batteries into hydrogen fuel cells systems. After holding several meetings with the logistics engineer and the manufacturer, Nalin was able to assist in gauging all costs and benefits, and come up with an attractive initial business case. He also scheduled a compressed air leak audit during summer maintenance plant shutdown, which uncovered significant energy savings.   With insight of recent solar investment tax credit extension and plummeting panel costs, Nalin obtained proposals for two on-site solar projects. Among these was a 1 MW solar ground mount project, which proved to be the more economical option. Finally, Nalin prepared Mack Trucks’ energy management systems for the ISO 50001 audit.

Potential Impact:

Over their lifetimes, Nalin’s recommendations could save Mack Trucks $5.14 million in net operational and energy costs. If implemented, the projects combined could result in around 4 million kWh of electricity and 2,858 metric tons of annual carbon dioxide emissions savings. The hydrogen fuel cell project is the most promising, Nalin’s work will continue Mack Truck’s legacy of leadership in energy and sustainability.