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Regional centers have been established in selected parts of the country to facilitate deployment of CHP technologies through:
- Educating regional players on benefits of CHP technologies, while reducing perceived risks;
- Providing project-specific support;
- Providing feedback to DOE and industry regarding future R&D program needs; and
- Interacting with states to encourage a favorable policy environment for CHP.
Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.
According to the National CHP Roadmap, the goal of the RACs is to double the amount of CHP installed capacity in the United States by the year 2010 (utilizing 1999 as the base year). This translates to the equivalent of 46,000 MW of new CHP capacity. (PDF 2.3 MB)
Each RAC will provide essential and appropriate applied research and development support, focused on the technology transfer and deployment of advanced CHP technologies. The RACs will achieve this objective through a strategy of targeted education and outreach as well as project technical assistance. The guidebook has been developed to specify the work scope for and provide standards for developing and implementing each RAC. The guidebook (PDF 1.3 MB) will ensure some consistency in structure and operation as the concept grows throughout the country.
In April 2001, the DOE, through Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), established the first pilot RAC to serve the Midwest and is located at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This pilot RAC developed and proved the Regional Application Center processes. The Midwest RAC is a partnership between the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Gas Technology Institute. Based on the success of the pilot RAC, DOE has established seven additional RACs. The regions and the states covered by these centers are shown in the following map. Presentations providing an overview of RAC activities are available from December 2004 (PDF 624 KB) and December 2003 (PDF 1.6 MB).
Links to Web sites, fact sheets, and key contacts for the RACs are as follows:
For a summary of the CHP RACs and regional CHP initiatives, including contact information, see the CHP Regional Resource Center overview (PDF 393 KB).
For further information on the RAC program, please contact:
- Merrill Smith, USDOE CHP Program Manager,
- Patti Garland, ORNL (202-479-0292), Program Technical Assistance, or
- Ted Bronson PEA (630-248-8778), Program Technical Assistance.
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