The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced up to $10 million to conduct research and development activities to further the utilization of cost-effective, highly efficient combined heat and power specifically designed to provide support to the electric grid.
CHP is a suite of predominately gas-fired distributed generation technologies that produces electricity and thermal energy onsite, providing the user with more efficient and lower-cost electricity, while also increasing site reliability and energy security. CHP can also reduce line losses and strain on grid infrastructure.
Within the Advanced Manufacturing Office, CHP is the focus of both research and development and technology partnership activities. The R&D activities are focused on researching new CHP technologies that will enable development of advanced CHP systems that support U.S. economic competitive advantage, promote economic development, instill resiliency in businesses and communities and create and maintain local energy-related jobs.
EERE anticipates making approximately 6-10 awards in the form of cooperative agreements. The funding opportunity includes two areas of interest to research enabling technologies for CHP systems specifically designed to provide cost-effective support to the electric grid.
Area of Interest 1 – Power Electronics and Control Systems
The objective of this area of interest is to research, develop and test CHP components such as power electronics and control systems needed to enable the cost-effective use of new and existing CHP systems to provide support to the grid.
Area of Interest 2 – Electricity Generation Components
The objective of this area of interest is to research and develop the electricity generation component of a 1-20 MWe CHP system capable of two operating configurations—a baseload mode where it is running at half its rated capacity and is designed to perform in a conventional CHP manner and a second, at full-rated capacity, where it is designed to maximize its ability to support the electric grid.
View the solicitation and submission instructions.
