|
The Midwest CHP Initiative (MWCHPI) is a voluntary, ad-hoc action-oriented entity, with the mission is to lead the implementation of CHP technologies in the Midwest, in support of DOE and EPA’s goal of doubling CHP use in the U.S. by 2010. The MWCHPI, receiving strong support from industry and the U.S. DOE’s Midwest Regional Office, works closely with the MAC to provide valuable support, guidance and promotion of CHP in the Midwest. Since early 2001, the MWCHPI and the MAC have been cited by several sources as the model for the country in building industry–government partnerships to support the DOE and EPA’s CHP goals. The success of the MWCHPI has led to the formation of similar regional initiatives throughout the country for promoting CHP.
Midwest CHP Initiative
Information about the MWCHPI is provided here in the following sections:
• Mission
• Strategy
• Meetings
• Contact
• Task Force Groups
Mission
To lead the implementation of CHP technologies in support of DOE and EPA’s goal of doubling CHP use by 2010 through:
• Coordination and regional collaboration of various stakeholder groups throughout the Midwest, including State Energy Offices and environmental, industry, educational, and government entities and;
• Engaging the MAC to support completion of the Initiative and roadmap actions.
Strategy
The above mission will be implemented through a strategy that aligns the Initiative with the Midwest and National CHP Roadmaps and the MAC. The Midwest Cogeneration Association, a trade association consisting of equipment manufacturers, project developers, and architect and engineers, is a member of the Initiative and provides a “front-line” perspective of companies that sell, install, and service CHP systems.
Several key challenges include the recent higher price of natural gas, emissions permitting, electrical interconnection, utility tariffs, capital investment and financing. The Initiative’s plan includes the following underlying elements:
1. Promote high visibility installations throughout the region and promote the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) CHP Partnership and CHP Energy Star awards.
2. Support the Midwest State Energy Office DE programs, including co-sponsoring training, workshops, and conferences, as well as speaking at events and other forms of participation.
3. Partner with regional stakeholders including energy end users, private industry, utilities, municipals, and federal, state, and local governments; these partnerships are paramount to achieving success in the Midwest.
4. Exploit CHP synergies among federal programs and leverage available funding.
Meetings
Format
Initiative meetings take place on a quarterly basis. The agenda is issued one month in advance with web conference calls lasting a maximum of two hours from 9 to 11 AM, CST. The U.S. DOE arranges for two-hour web conference calls so that participants calling in can view presentations on-line. Ted Bronson chairs the Initiative and is responsible for meeting arrangements and logistics. A one-day annual meeting is held for all Initiative participants and stakeholders to reassess progress and discuss issues.
Participation
Meetings are open to all interested participants willing to be in action to accomplish the Initiative’s mission. Meeting invitations are sent to all stakeholders who wish to participate and provide their contact information to the Initiative chair. The invitation list is routinely reviewed and updated to insure that all interested parties are invited to the meetings.
Location
Meetings are generally held in Chicago, but the location is rotated among the stakeholder host sites, depending on the interest of the stakeholders on the specific focus of the meeting. Requirements for host sites, include: (a) gather a minimum of 15 to 20 regional stakeholders to participate in the meeting, (b) outline key agenda topics for local discussion after the general meeting, (c) provide a room with phone and internet connection for web casting, and lunch for meeting participants. A two to three hour discussion of local CHP issues would follow the general meeting after lunch.
Contact
For more information on the Midwest CHP Initiative, please contact:
Ted Bronson
President
Power Equipment associates
Phone: (630) 248-8778
E-mail
Task Force Groups
The MWCHPI has established the following six task force groups to focus on different aspects of the CHP-related issues. Each task force is led by co-chair, who will be responsible for developing regional action plans, soliciting the participation of stakeholders in the region, identifying funding opportunities and resources, and organizing regular conference calls to implement the action plans. Status/progress updates will be presented by the co-chairs at the quarterly Midwest CHP Initiative meetings and posted on the MAC web site quarterly.
To learn about the focus/mission of each task force, its plans, co-chair contact information of the task force co-chair, participate in a task force, and/or read the task force meeting summaries and action plans, click on the links of your choice and interest:
- Information and Targeted Education
- Packaged Systems
- Regulatory and Policy Issues
- Opportunity Fuels
- Benefits Documentation
- Utility Focus
Information and Targeted Education
Objective
Educate building owners, state utility commissioners, A&Es, utilities, project developers and others on the benefits, technologies and the issues of CHP. The benefits of targeted training and education include addressing issues specific to an industry segment and presenting the financial detail sufficient to interest financial decision-makers to further evaluate CHP as an investment opportunity. The intention is to target training at (a) financial decision makers within key market segments such as hospitals, hotels, colleges/universities, etc. and (b) influencers such as architect and engineering companies.
Plans
• Identify the key CHP stakeholders within the eight Midwest state region including state energy office representatives and industry representatives
• Identify the key CHP market segments within each Midwest state
• Identify and determine the appropriate mechanisms to disseminate education / information to desired audience for each Midwest state
• Identify funding opportunities to promote CHP through targeted education and information to the eight Midwest state region
Co-chairs and Contact Information
This task force is co-chaired by Jeff Haase (Minnesota Energy Office) and Loch McCabe (Shepherd Advisors, Michigan). Tom Riemer (JTR Industries) and Cliff Haefke (The MAC). For more information, recommendations, and/or participation in this task force, please contact:
Cliff Haefke
Representative
Midwest CHP Application Center
Phone: (312) 355-3476
E-mail
Packaged Systems
Objective
Streamline the process for installing, owning, operating and developing CHP packaged systems.
Plans
• Identify potential capabilities, in the Midwest region, for packaging and supplying package system components
• Facilitate conference calls with potential packagers and component suppliers to determine their capabilities and interest
Co-chairs and Contact Information
This task force is co-chaired by Tony Sutor (Ohio Energy Office) and TBD (Indiana Energy Office), Larry Tangel (Enercon Engineering) and John Kelly (Gas Technology Institute). For more information, recommendations, and/or participation in this task force, please contact:
John Kelly
Representative
Midwest CHP Application Center
Phone: (847) 768-0665
E-mail
Regulatory and Policy Issues
Objective
Educate the state regulators on the benefits of CHP and how policy issues relating to interconnections and utility tariffs impact the prospects for CHP.
Plans
• Work with the MAC to develop workshop for regulators' staff and state energy offices on the economic impact of CHP for ratepayers, customers and state jobs.
• Suggest regulatory improvements in states' permitting process for CHP systems
• Educate regulators (both air and utility) on the intrinsic benefits of CHP.
• Develop baseline of state regulatory issues, incentives, and status of issues related to interconnection, tariffs, and environmental permitting.
• Identify various options for utilizing the State Benefit Funds for CHP projects.
Co-chairs and Contact Information
This task force is co-chaired by Susan Hedman (Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity), Jim Madson (Minnesota Energy Office), John Moore (ELPC), Tom Smith (Equity Office Properties) and Ted Bronson (Power Equipment Associates). For more information, recommendations, and/or participation in this task force, please contact:
Ted Bronson
Representative
Midwest CHP Application Center
hone: (651) 297-2326
E-mail
Opportunity Fuels
Objective
Due to the high and volatile cost of natural gas, this task force will devote efforts toward expanding installations of CHP for the use of opportunity fuels (“free-fuels”) that include landfill gas, municipal solid waste, wastewater treatment plants, pressure to power, agricultural waste, wood and wood waste.
Plans
• Identify CHP opportunities for utilizing digester gas (biogas) from several key feedstocks including, live stock, food processors, and community digesters.
• Identify CHP opportunities for utilizing gas from landfill sites.
Co-chairs and Contact Information
This task force is co-chaired by Jim Bodensteiner (Iowa Energy Office), Preston Shutte (Wisconsin Energy Office), Jon Scott (Unison Corp.), Dharam Punwani (Avalon Consulting, Inc.) and Steffen Mueller (The MAC). For more information, recommendations, and/or participation in this task force, please contact:
Steffen Mueller
Representative
Midwest CHP Application Center
Phone: (312) 355-3982
E-mail
Benefits Documentation
Objective
Identify, monetize, and document the various benefits of CHP, beyond direct energy cost savings, including increased reliability, improved power quality, and environmental attributes.
Plans
• Identify other organizations, if any, working on quantifying the non-energy savings benefits of CHP.
• Identify other studies, if any, that have already quantified the non-energy savings benefits of CHP.
• Identify and promote states that have emissions credits or trading programs for CHP (or high efficiency energy systems).
• Review case studies to identify where non-energy savings are taken into account.
Co-chairs and Contact Information
This task force is co-chaired by Byron Lloyd (Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity), John Noller (Missouri Energy Office), Darrell Thornley (Equity Office Properties) and Leslie Farrar (The MAC). For more information, recommendations, and/or participation in this task force, please contact:
Leslie Farrar
Representative
Midwest CHP Application Center
Phone: (312) 996-4490
E-mail
Utility Focus
Objective
Educate utilities, cooperatives and municipals about the technologies and benefits of using DG/CHP (a) in lieu of building electric line extensions and substations to accommodate slow or uncertain growth areas and (b) to complement large central power station electric generation for peak shaving or lower cost power generation while increasing the robustness of the electric grid, improving customer electric reliability and utilizing the otherwise wasted heat from the electric generation process.
Plans
Document municipal utilities already using CHP and their investment/operating experience.
• Work with the MAC to organize a series of workshops/meetings with municipals through several of the Midwest State Energy offices in order to educate them on the technologies and benefits of CHP and discuss potential CHP applications.
• Define the regulatory and financial issues driving municipals and affecting their investment decisions.
• Determine viability/opportunity of CHP as a means of generating power for municipals.
• Determine viability/opportunity of CHP as a means of delaying investment in electric line extensions and substations.
Co-chairs and Contact Information
This task force is co-chaired by Tony Sutor (Ohio Department of Development), Doug Presney (Focus On Energy, Wisconsin), Beth Burke (Laclede Gas, Missouri) and Gary Nowakowski (U.S. DOE Midwest Regional Office). For more information, recommendations, and/or participation in this task force, please contact:
Gary Nowakowski
Representative
Midwest CHP Application Center
Phone: (312) 886-8575
E-mail
|
