CHP and the Clean Energy Future
Introduction
Combined heat and power (CHP) is a clean energy resource that can help governments, utilities, businesses, institutions, and communities meet their energy system goals by reducing emissions, saving money, maintaining energy reliability, and improving resiliency in the face of a changing climate.
The electric grid of the future will connect more distributed resources, include more microgrids, and be less carbon intensive. CHP systems are an integral part of the grid of the future, providing energy close to where it is consumed, enhancing resiliency, and reducing emissions. In addition, the gas system of the future will be greener as well, incorporating more clean fuels such as renewable natural gas (RNG) and clean hydrogen. CHP systems are an important part of this system too, as they can use these clean fuels efficiently, requiring less fuel inputs to achieve the same energy outputs.
This paper explores the current state of the electric grid and gas system in the U.S. as well as the future of each and examines how CHP will continue to work with these systems to provide cleaner, reliable energy that will support our communities.