The Great Plains Institute is launching a survey requesting feedback on best practices in standby rates for combined heat and power (CHP). According to Lola Schoenrich, vice president of communities at GPI, “Best practices for standby rates have begun to emerge, but we need to further define and standardize these practices. The purpose of this survey is to begin to critically examine these emerging recommended practices with interested stakeholders such as regulators, potential CHP users, developers, technical experts, and utilities.”
GPI has a strong history of supporting CHP policy work in the Midwest. Over the past five years, GPI has been actively engaged in standby rates work, initially supporting the development of the “apples-to-apples” standby rate analytical tool to inform stakeholder comments in the Minnesota standby rates proceeding in 2015. Using the apples-to-apples comparison tool, GPI has supported technical assistance in standby rate discussions across a number of states, including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
GPI’s standby rates work builds upon previous efforts related to standby rates and CHP:
- Hunterston Consulting (2019), Where Things Stand on Standby Rates.
- Exergy Partners and Entropy Research (2018), Standby/Capacity Reservation Charge Best Practices and Review, prepared for the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission CHP Working Group.
- US Environmental Protection Agency CHP Partnership (2018), “CHP Utility Rates – Role of Standby Rates Webinar.”
- Regulatory Assistance Project (2014), Standby Rates for Combined Heat and Power Systems.
- US Environmental Protection Agency (2009), Standby Rates for Customer-Sited Resources.
On Monday, June 29, GPI hosted a webinar to introduce the survey. With over 35 participants, the webinar audience included a diverse range of perspectives, including CHP developers, utilities, technical consultants, and regulatory staff. You can review a recording of the June 29 webinar below and view slides from the webinar presentation.
If you have experience with standby rates for CHP, we hope you will consider participating in the survey. Responses are due by Friday, July 17.
About Jamie Scripps, guest author: Jamie Scripps is a principal with Hunterston Consulting LLC, where she offers advanced energy policy expertise to clients across the Midwest. Jamie’s standby rate research has been featured in a number of proceedings throughout the country, and she is a recognized expert on policies related to cogeneration. In 2016, Jamie was featured as a Midwest Energy News “40 under 40” awardee. Prior to founding Hunterston Consulting LLC, Jamie was a partner with 5 Lakes Energy LLC.
