
Arlington, VA (PRWEB) February 15, 2012
The International District Power Association (Notion) presented its 25th Annual Campus Power Conference, ?Innovations in Clean Energy?, in Arlington, VA on February 6-9, 2012. More than 650 registrants attended panels, technical presentations, workshops and an exhibit hall featuring 85 top companies. District energy systems, as important power infrastructure in most main U.S. cities and institutions, had been the central focus of the conference, attracting participants from leading colleges and universities operating very efficient district energy and combined heat and power (CHP) systems.
The Opening Plenary Panel featured discussion on the reliability, efficiency and price advantages of state-of-the-art district power and CHP systems. Panelists included the Honorable Stephen Ayers, Architect of the Capitol Dr. Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Efficiency, EERE, U.S. Department of Energy Sarah Dunham, Director of Atmospheric Programs at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tom Hicks, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Power and senior energy executives from Cornell University, Princeton University, Texas A&M University, Thermal Power Corporation (TECO) in Houston, Texas and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Stephen Ayers, Architect of the Capitol, is preparing installation of an 18 MW CHP facility at the Capitol Power Plant that supplies steam for heating and chilled water for cooling to the US Capitol Supreme Court Library of Congress and Senate and Property workplace buildings on Capitol Hill. Ayers emphasized the reliability benefits of district energy and CHP, stating, ?Can you image a State of the Union address by the President getting cancelled since there was no heat in the Property Chamber? There is no room for excuses or failure in the environment in which I operate. The Capitol Power Plant has a long track record of highly trustworthy service and our move to incorporate CHP is intended to augment that reliability.?
The panelists noted the significant reliability positive aspects of district energy and CHP systems throughout unexpected events and all-natural disasters. The severe drought in Texas for the duration of the summer of 2011 drove electricity rates to reach record levels, but TECO was in a position to give electricity and cooling to its consumers at the Texas Medical Center at standard rates as a result of their 48 MW CHP and district power method. TECO CEO Steve Swinson stated, ?Simply because of the heat and the drought, the Texas electrical grid was incredibly stressed, from a generation perspective and a transmission perspective. Getting CHP permitted us to remain trustworthy.? Tom Nyquist of Princeton University also stressed the reliability positive aspects of district energy, noting, ?There have been instances when tropical storms come via and the only lights on in town are on campus. Having CHP and district power permits us to ride by way of storms with no interruption.?
Government recognition of the benefits of district power and CHP is growing as information and awareness of the technologies spread. On Thursday, February 2, Energy Secretary Steven Chu was in Houston to tour TECO along with Steve Swinson. In recounting the pay a visit to, Swinson commented to the Idea audience, ?Secretary Chu truly appreciated CHP and understood it,? and Kathleen Hogan of the U.S. Department of Energy echoed those sentiments. Dr. Hogan stated, ?The Department of Power has been strongly behind CHP for numerous years and this support is only getting stronger, as you could hear in the State of the Union address by the President and see from the Secretary?s check out to the superb facility in Texas.? The Department of Energy has established Clean Energy Application Centers (CEACs) to promote and assist in transforming the industry for CHP, waste heat recovery, and district energy technologies all through the United States. Idea functions closely with the CEACs to expand the district power marketplace and assistance new projects.
Sarah Dunham, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, stated that EPA ?recognizes the possibilities for CHP and district power to be price-effective greenhouse gas reduction technologies and attain air pollutant reduction goals. We see these technologies as a way to combine and attain each reliability and environmental efficiency.? EPA manages the CHP Partnership, a voluntary system that encourages the use of CHP to reduce the environmental impact of power generation.
One more conference panel focused on Military Bases, Microgrids and Managing Sustainability and featured Merrill Smith, Workplace of Electricity Delivery & Power Reliability, U.S. Department of Energy Richard Boyette, U.S. Navy NAV/FAC John Kelly, Ideal Power Institute Jonathan Powers, U.S. Army Power Initiatives Process Force Ted Borer, Princeton University and Tim Griffin, RMF Engineering. Presentations from the conference are obtainable on the Concept site.
Trustworthy power supplies for its military installations are essential to our nation?s security. The Department of Defense has established 3 central objectives for installation (military base) energy: to minimize energy use, enhance power security and boost use of renewable energy and onsite power generation. Onsite power generation reduces military reliance upon an aging and potentially vulnerable electricity grid and increases preparedness.
The reliability rewards highlighted by campus and governments members of the plenary panel are even much more valuable to mission-critical military operations, and district power and CHP systems support continued crucial base operations in the event of electricity supply disruptions. Tom Hicks, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, stated that the benefit of district energy and CHP is ?really about our combat capability?having a much more reliable grid, which CHP gives us, is an enabler of our mission, of our combat capability and preparedness.?
The 25th Annual Campus Power Conference was supported in portion by the generous sponsorship of top businesses, like Burns & McDonnell, Chem-Aqua, Jacobs Engineering, Johnson Controls and Solar Turbines.
About Concept: Idea serves as a vital data hub for the district power market and combined heat and power industries, connecting industry specialists and advancing the technology around the world. With headquarters just outside of Boston, Mass., the 1,500- member Thought was founded in 1909 and comprises district heating and cooling program executives, managers, engineers, consultants and gear suppliers from 25 nations. Idea supports the growth and utilization of district energy as a indicates to conserve fuel and improve power efficiency to improve the international atmosphere. For far more on Idea, go to http://www.districtenergy.org.
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