First Annual DER Peer
Review Huge Success
November 28-30, 2001, Washington DC
The U.S. Department of Energy’s
Distributed Energy Resources Group (DOE-DER) recently held their
first Conference and Peer Review. The forum provided information
on various projects that the DOE is funding in the distributed
energy area. The purpose of the meeting was to:
- Review the mission,
goals, objectives strategy, program balance, leadership and
productivity of the DER Program;
- Learn about strategic
DER efforts underway at DOE and in regional, state, and local
governments, national laboratories, and other research organizations;
- Explore the barriers
to distributed energy from those who are leading research, development,
and demonstration efforts, and
- Exchange ideas with
other DER practitioners throughout the country.
Over 220 participants from federal
and state agencies, DOE laboratories, private industry, nonprofit
organizations, and academia came to the conference to exchange
ideas and learn more about DER activities at DOE and around the
country. Six distinguished peer reviewers evaluated the DER program
on a strategic management level. It was held in Washington, DC
beginning the afternoon of November 28th and concluded on November
30th. The intended purpose of the meeting was well met.
The Midwest CHP interests were
well represented. Ted Bronson, Associate Director of the Distributed
Energy Group at the Gas Technologies Institute (GTI), provided
an update on both the Midwest CHP Application Center and the MW
CHP Initiative activities. The updates were well received; with
many positive comments regarding how these two organizations are
"model CHP activities, leading the country in regional CHP
efforts." A copy of the presentation by Mr. Bronson is available
online.
Highlighting the Midwest contingent
at the conference was the participation of John Evanoff (State
of Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs) and
Jeff Haas (State of Minnesota Department of Commerce). "The
enthusiasm in the application of CHP technologies to increase
energy efficiency, reduce pollution, and raise electric reliability
in the Midwest is evidenced in part, by two of the eight states
in the region sending State officials to learn more about DOE’s
DER program, and how it can impact their State’s activities"
said John Cuttica, Director of the Midwest CHP Application Center.
The ongoing CHP activities in the
Midwest were positively singled out in presentations given by
Ron Fiskum, Program Manager at the U.S. DOE; Phillip Fairchild,
Manager at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and by Gary Nowakowski,
Program Manager at the US DOE’s Chicago Regional Office.
The proceedings of the conference can be found at:
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