The Texas Combined Heat and Power Initiative (TXCHPI), The Heat is Power Association (HiP), and World Alliance for Decentralized Energy (WADE) joined forces to convene the CHP2013 & WHP2013 Conference and Trade Show on October 7-9 at the Crowne Plaza in Houston, Texas. In its fourth year, this conference brought over 200 business and energy leaders together with industry experts, project developers, policy specialists and end-users to examine new technologies, market opportunities and installation case studies of CHP and WHP. The conference program and optional workshop will address industrial competitiveness, recent federal initiatives and state policies, and other issues. 

Download: Presentations

Press releases: July 31 | Sept. 26 | Oct. 23

   

• Texas Combined Heat & Power Initiative (TXCHPI) is a non-profit association of business interests that supports clean, energy-efficient, CHP technology applications in industrial, commercial and institutional settings. TXCHPI champions CHP as the most effective, economical and environmentally sensible energy option for Texas and beyond. 
• Heat is Power Association (HiP) is the trade association for the waste heat to power industry.  A not-for-profit organization, HiP promotes the efficient, industrial use of emission-free electricity generated through waste heat to power processes and is committed to educating decision makers and the public about the characteristics of waste heat to power as a source of electricity and an economic driver for global competitiveness.  
• World Alliance for Decentralized Energy (WADE) is a global non-profit research, promotion and advocacy organization established in June 2002 to accelerate the worldwide deployment of decentralized energy systems. WADE is the world’s leading organization focused on advancing clean and efficient decentralized energy technology in developed as well as developing countries around the world.  

The Texas CHP Initiative welcomes new Gold Level member MP2 Power, Silver Level membernew Gold Level member Shah Smith & Associates, and Bronze Level member Broaddus & Associates. Expanding the Initiative's membership base ensures the organization's sustainability, improves services to members, and bolsters its legislative influence. Thank you for your support!

This month Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law several bills that will directly and indirectly help advance the state's CHP market. (Press release, 6/19/13)

Relevant bills passed by the now-concluded 83rd Legislature include the following.

• HB 1864 authorizes the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) to develop guidelines for how CHP is evaluated, as currently required by law, prior to the construction or renovation of government facilities deemed to be "critical" for emergency preparedness and emergency response operations. GC CEAC will assist SECO in the preparation of the CHP evaluation guidelines. [Bill language]
• HB 2049 changes current law so that cogeneration facilities can now sell electricity to purchasers of thermal energy thereby maximizing operational efficiency and minimizing financial risk. [Bill language]
• SB 385 makes changes to the long-term project financing mechanism known as Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE). PACE provides low-cost, long-term financing for CHP, waste heat recovery, and other energy-efficient and water-efficient technologies on commercial and industry property. [Bill language]

The Texas CHP Initiative welcomes new Bronze level member Maven Power and individual members Darrell Hayslip (Narrow Gate Energy), Darrell Thornley (Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure), and William Williams (Altresco, Texas Tech University). Expanding the Initiative's membership base ensures the organization's sustainability, improves services to members, and bolsters its legislative influence.

Individual members:   Darrell Hayslip (Narrow Gate Energy) Darrell Thornley (Shaw Environmental) William Williams (Altresco, Texas Tech)

 TXCHPI bestowed the annual CHP Awards at the CHP2012 Conference and Trade Show (see next announcement for more). We congratulate the following individuals and organizations for their contributions toward advancing the regional CHP industry:

• CHP Champion - Ed Mardiat, Burns & McDonnell
  
  Ed Mardiat, Principal for OnSite Energy and Power at Burns & McDonnell, was recognized for relentlessly championing CHP in various capacities, such as speaking before countless individuals and organizations on the benefits and value of CHP. In addition to promoting CHP he has assisted organizations such as the Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Labs and the International District Energy Association on promoting the benefits of CHP.
  
  
• CHP Ally - Public Citizen
  
  Public Citizen supported the Texas CHP industry by producing and distributing collateral about CHP's benefits, promoting CHP as an energy efficiency measure to reduce greenhouse gases and other pollutants, advocating for improving utilities' energy efficiency programs, and ensuring energy efficiency incentive funds for CHP projects. Public Citizen also supported streamlined permitting for small scale CHP projects.
  
  
• CHP Policy Champion - Henry Heier, Louisiana Mechanical Contractors Association
  
  Henry Heier and the Mechanical Contractors Association of Louisiana spearheaded legislation in the Louisiana House aimed at ensuring that CHP would be evaluated prior to the construction or renovation of any of critical government facilities. Much like an existing law in Texas, the Louisiana effort was aimed at keeping critical facilities running with reliable CHP systems when major storms and disasters strike.
  
  
• Project of the Year - University of Oklahoma - Norman 
  
  The University of Oklahoma’s CHP plant represents a major investment that will provide exceptional operational, financial and environmental benefits. The facility features 15 MW of generation with heat recovery boilers. The project is projected to offer more than $7 million in annual electricity savings and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 25,000 metric tons per year.
  

The CHP2012 Conference and Trade Show, co-hosted by the Texas CHP Initiative and International District Energy Association, drew drawing nearly 300 participants representing over 180 organizations. The Honorable Bill White--former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy, three-term Mayor of Houston, and current Chairman of Lazard Houston--provided the keynote address on global CHP opportunities. Amy Myers Jaffe, Executive Director of Energy and Sustainability at the University of California at Davis, delivered the opening address on the future of domestic natural gas production and the global energy market. Numerous other breakout and discussion panels covered a wide range of CHP topics including industrial energy efficiency, Texas' new CHP permit-by-rule, and resource adequacy in Texas.

Presentations and photos from the event are available to download.

 

Left to right: Paul Cauduro, TXCHPI Executive Director;
the Honorable Bill White; Rob Thornton, IDEA President and CEO

 

 

The Texas CHP Initiative welcomes new members NRG Energy and Clean DG Advisors. Expanding the Initiative's membership base ensures the organization's sustainability, improves services to members, and bolsters its legislative influence.

On July 25, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved a new permit by rule (PBR) for combined heat and power systems (CHP) up to 15 MW. The PBR is expected to reduce regulatory delays and eliminate some equipment costs associated with CHP systems. The TCEQ action was in response to HB 3268, which was passed by the 82nd Texas Legislature and championed by TXCHPI. Press release | TCEQ executive summary | TCEQ full ruling

Uday Purani, Product Manager with TXCHPI member Kraft Energy Systems, authored an article in the January/February issue of Cogeneration and Onsite Power Production Magazine, entitled "Plug and Play: Units Expand U.S. Market for Small-Scale CHP." The piece addresses the recent uptick in modular and packaged CHP systems in small commercial applications.To access the article, see pages 34-41 of the COSPP issue.

GC CEAC Director Dan Bullock and Texas CHP Initiative Executive Director Paul Cauduro co-authored "Will the Coming Texas Power Crunch Create Another CHP Boom", which appears in the recent issue of COSPP Magazine. The piece projects the benefits of increasing natural gas CHP in Texas from 20 percent to 35 percent of statewide electricity generation by 2025. The authors estimate that this scenario would conserve roughly 161 billion gallons of water and relieve the electric grid of roughly 87 MWh relative to "Business-as-Usual" projections.