CHP
has strong support from the Bush Administration. The Administration's
National Energy Plan encourages research and development efforts
on next-generation energy technology. Energy Secretary Spencer
Abraham has described the Administration's goal as making CHP
technology the "preferred system for commercial buildings by
2020."
The
DOE and industry partners have and will continue to invest
hundreds of millions of dollars in new energy efficient CHP
technologies, with the intent of meeting growing electrical
demand with - clean, reliable, and secure energy choices. Many
of these technologies and systems are commercially available
today.
CHP
Regional Application Centers
The DOE has created eight CHP Regional Application Centers (RACs). The objective of creating RACs is to ensure that these technologies are deployed by working on a State-by-State and regional basis to educate market players on the benefits of CHP technologies while reducing the perceived risk. In addition, these RACs will provide a valuable feedback loop to DOE and industry regarding future R&D program needs.
According
to the CHP Industry Roadmap, available
here in PDF format, the goal of the RACs is to double the
amount of CHP installed capacity in the United States by the
year 2015 (utilizing 1999 as the base year). This translates
to the equivalent of 47,000 MW of new CHP capacity.
Each
RAC will provide essential and appropriate applied research
and development support, focused on the technology transfer
and deployment of advanced CHP technologies. The RACs will
achieve this objective through a strategy of targeted education
and outreach as well as project technical assistance. A
copy of the guidebook is available here in PDF format,
or from the library section of this Website. The
guidebook has been developed to specify the work scope for
and provide standards for developing and implementing each
RAC. The guidebook will ensure some consistency in structure
and operation as the concept grows throughout the country.
In
April 2001, the DOE, through Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), established the first pilot RAC to serve the Midwest
and is located at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This
pilot RAC developed and proved the Regional Application Center
processes. The Center is a partnership between the University
of Illinois at Chicago and the Gas Technology Institute. In
September 2003, DOE/ORNL established five additional RACs.
The regions and the states covered by these centers are shown
in the following map. DOE might consider additional RACs in
the future. A recent report (December 2003) on the RACs is available
here in PDF format.
Partnership
with Industry
In
June 2001, Secretary Abraham announced the "First
Generation" Packaged Cooling, Heating and Power Systems for
Buildings awards. Contracts of $18.5 million were negotiated
with seven industry teams for research, development and testing
of new, first generation packaged CHP systems for commercial
and institutional buildings.
Modular
or packaged CHP systems for buildings are a breakthrough in
energy efficiency. According to DOE officials, integrated CHP
systems can offer up to a 30-40 percent improvement in a building's
energy efficiency over today's best practices, leading to reduced
energy and demand charges for building owners.
For
better interoperability and marketability, CHP component manufacturers
need to create systems that physically fit the generation and
heating/cooling/dehumidification components together, match
power and thermal loads within the system, and communicate
effectively between components within the system and with external
energy control devices.
Ronald
Fiskum, a Program Manager for DOE's Office of Distributed Energy
Resources, says, "In the near future, CHP for Buildings systems
will be engineered in the factory—instead of in the field." Designing
plug-and-play systems for CHP systems is critical to reducing
the time and effort required to integrate system components.
Universal connection standards would greatly simplify installation
and maintenance-and encourage acceptance of the technology
by the architectural and engineering community. Simplified,
pre-engineered, skid-mounted CHP equipment would make building
owners responsible only for connecting power, piping, or ducting.
Controls may be connected to a local network, permitting onsite
personnel to operate the equipment directly from a desktop
PC. Visit the Program Partners section
of the national Cooling, Heating, and Power for Buildings
website for more information.
State
and Local Policies State
and local policies and regulations regarding the deregulation
of electricity and distributed generation have an effect on
the installation and financial feasibility of CHP. Restrictive
permitting or long delays in obtaining permits can dissuade
building owners from installing CHP. High exit and/or interconnection
fees, and standby electric rate structures can be financial
disincentives for CHP. Some States, such as Texas, have made
progress to set policies that are CHP friendly by promoting
standard interconnection requirements and fees, and setting
reasonable goals for time limits on studies. As more States
move toward electrical deregulation and distributed generation
becomes an integral part of the electrical infrastructure,
policies and regulations should support CHP becoming the "preferred
system" for buildings. Visit the Policies
and Regulations section of this website for more information.
Because
of the higher energy efficiency, the CHP systems have the potential
to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 45%. According to the
U.S. Department of Energy, CHP systems could reduce annual
greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 million metric tons
of carbon if goals to double U.S. installed CHP capacity by
2015 were met.
This
advanced technology integration requires a new application
of existing technical expertise and cooperation between government,
academia, and industry.
More information for policy makers/planners is available in the following area by clicking on the links below:
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