On March 16, 2017, the Alliance for Industrial Efficiency partnered with the Business Council for Renewable Energy and CHP Association to produce a webinar on the state of combined heat and power in the U.S. using data from the 2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. The webinar also featured panelists from the American Gas Association and CHP equipment manufacturer Solar Turbines.
Highlights from the Webinar and Factbook:
- CHP remains an important portion of the U.S. power portfolio, contributing 9% of total generation or 81.1 GW.
- The industrial sector accounts for 80% of CHP deployment in the U.S.
- Natural gas remains the most popular source for cogeneration by far, representing 71% of installed CHP capacity.
- Natural gas prices across the spectrum set or approached record lows in 2016.
- CHP is very cost-competitive in certain parts of the country.
- Although CHP remains competitive with other clean energy sources, such as wind and solar, costs are not declining as rapidly, suggesting the need for financial incentives.
You can watch the full webinar here or download slides from the presentation here.