The heading for this blog post was the key take-away message from a meeting co-hosted by GPI and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) October 21 and 22 in Chicago, Illinois. The meeting, Catalyzing Midwestern Initiatives to Accelerate Combined Heat and Power and Waste Heat to Power aimed to bring together national and state-based non-profit organizations, equipment manufacturers, developers and industry associations and government and technical service providers to facilitate networking and align interests for advancing combined heat and power (CHP) and waste heat to power (WHP) in Midwestern states. The meeting was the first step in a broader effort to help regional CHP advocates get organized and increase collaboration on state initiatives to help bolster additional CHP installation. GPI is partnering with ACEEE to help support President Obama’s Executive Order on Industrial Energy Efficiency and Combined Heat and Power. More detail on the Executive Order and what this would mean for the Midwest is available here.
There was agreement at the meeting that increasing our coordination efforts among environmental advocates, developers, industry associations, technical service providers and state agencies is necessary to really achieve the goals outlined in the Executive Order. Going forward, GPI and ACEEE are working with a group of contacts from each Midwestern state and the Midwest CHP Technical Assistance Partnership to determine specific activities that would benefit from increased coordination. So far the group has identified a set of informational webinars on CHP and WHP technology and air quality permitting and developing specific state strategies to streamline permitting of CHP systems. As we move forward, additional activities and priorities will be identified.
If you are interested in learning more about this effort or participating please contact me at [email protected] or Ethan Rogers from ACEEE at [email protected].
Prior to the meeting, GPI and ACEEE collaborated on a set of CHP fact sheets to benchmark CHP policy, projects and potential in key Midwestern states.