USCHPA Calls for Advancement of HR 4017, the Smart Energy Act

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Clean Heat & Power Association (U.S. CHP Association) applauds introduction of H.R. 4017, the Smart Energy Act.

Introduced February 14 by Representatives Charles Bass (R-NH) and Jim Matheson (D-UT), the bill seeks to establish financing mechanisms for energy efficiency retrofits for buildings and seeks to set a national goal to double the amount of power generated by combined heat and power (CHP) systems to 170 GW by 2020.

CHP is the simultaneous generation of electricity and useful thermal energy.  Currently supplying eight percent (8%) of U.S. generating capacity, CHP systems can reach efficiencies above eighty percent (80%).  There is approximately 82 GW of CHP installed in the U.S., which achieves a savings of 248 million metric tons of CO2 annually.  Industry estimates indicate the technical potential for additional CHP at existing sites in the U.S. is between 130 and 170 GW, plus an additional 10 GW of waste heat recovery CHP.  This is generating capacity that is readily available, provided policies are established to support further CHP deployment.

Referring to the Bass-Matheson bill, USCHPA Executive Director, Jessica Bridges, said:  "While 170 GW is an ambitious goal given existing state regulatory structures, establishing a CHP deployment goal and requiring the Department of Energy to provide a strategy to achieve it is nevertheless an intelligent approach to encourage further CHP deployment.  In addition, this legislation will provide a necessary source of financing for CHP installations in commercial and institutional settings.  I look forward to working with Representatives Bass and Matheson to advance the legislation."

The U.S. Clean Heat & Power (U.S. CHP Association) is the voice of the combined heat and power (CHP) industry.  USCHPA is a trade association whose membership includes manufacturers, suppliers, and developers of combined heat and power (CHP) systems.  CHP lowers demand on the electricity delivery system, reduces reliance on traditional energy supplies, makes businesses more competitive by lowering their energy costs, reduces greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant emissions, and refocuses infrastructure investments toward next-generation energy systems. Already harnessed by many industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities, CHP is a proven and effective energy resource that can be immediately deployed to help address current and future global energy needs by incorporating commercially available and domestically produced technology. 

SOURCE U.S. CHP Association