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CHP in the District
of Columbia
D.C.
| Delaware
| Maryland
| New
Jersey | Pennsylvania
| Virginia
| West
Virginia
Summary
Over the past few years, falling industrial electric prices in the District
of Columbia have been countered by a rise in commercial prices. Natural gas has experienced
price fluctuations along with all the other states in
the region and seen prices climb 85.4% over the last
12 years. More recent natural gas price data for DC is not available, and there is currently no documented summary of
CHP activity within the District of Columbia available.
Installed
CHP Capacity
There is currently no record
of installations made in the District of Columbia
available.
Descriptions of successfully-implemented CHP projects can be used to get ideas for the planning, financing, approval and installation processes involved. The lessons learned in these projects are a valuable resource for those considering CHP, whether in commercial, institutional, or industrial applications. Selected Mid-Atlantic CHP projects are available here, having been obtained from a variety of sources, including other RACs or through DOE.
GSA Central Heating and Refrigeration CHP Plant - CHP plant located in Washington, DC, operational 2003
Potential
Market for CHP
According to the US Department
of Energy, installations of CHP systems in DC's commercial
and industrial sector have the potential to generate
1320 to 2410 MW, representing 3-5% of DOE's 47GW long-term
goal.
State Restructuring Activities
Customers in the District of Columbia were granted access to customer choice in the year 2001. In the year 2003, there were two major alternate generation companies, PEPCO Energy Service and Washington Gas Energy Service, serving DC customers. Retail choice programs are only available for the residential and commercial classes.
Summary of Restructuring by Mid-Atlantic Energy Coalition
Status of State Electric Industry Restructuring from DOE EIA (pdf)
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Electricity
Pricing
Since 1990, DC's commercial electrical costs have experienced
a consistent annual increase. Since the year 1990, commercial
consumers have progressed from paying $.063/kWh to $.074/kWh
in 1997. This 1997 figure is about the same as the 2000
national average of 7.36 cents per kWh.
Natural
Gas Pricing
When evaluating CHP, a considerable amount of attention
needs to be placed on the price of natural gas. Natural
gas prices in the state of DC have steadily increased
over the past few years, unlike the price of electricity.
Compared to the national average of $6.57/kft 3 in 2002,
DC's prices are far above average having a price of
$10.44/kft 3 that year.
The combination of falling electric
prices and climbing prices for natural gas make the
"spark spread" between the cost of electrical
and fuel energy smaller which tightens the profitability
of CHP technology but there are still going to be successful
applications for the appropriate use of CHP. Issues
with the reliability of power in light of both the tropical
storm and grid power disruptions to the north will motivate
users to explore DG options. In the case where DG is
already being installed, waste heat recovery is likely
to decrease the operating cost of the installation.
DG remains distinct from emergency backup generators,
which are typically not permitted to operate continuously
due to the emissions permit that they are issued with.
DOE
EIA - Natural Gas Prices by State
(select residential/commercial/industrial in the
“Data Series” box at top of this page)
DOE
EIA - Electricity Prices (a variety of monthly
and annual data is available at this site)
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Electric Utility Website:
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CHP Requirements & State Support Programs Links
DC Energy Office
Financial incentives, outreach programs, and rules/regulations/policies for renewable energy and distributed generation
Regulatory Requirements for Small Electric Generators - DC
State
Agency Contacts:
DC Public Service Commission
DC
Bureau of Environmental Quality
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