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House Members to HUD: Support Hurricane-Resilient Energy Systems

March 25, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Friday, 25 members of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), along with 8 of their House colleagues, sent a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The letter encourages HUD, as part of their Hurricane Sandy rebuilding efforts, to issue guidance to states and localities regarding the installation of combined heat and power (CHP) systems. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan is leading the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force.

While 8.5 million residents in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut lost power and heat during Hurricane Sandy, facilities with CHP systems kept their electricity on and heat flowing. Recently, President Obama committed to moving CHP forward by setting a national goal of 40 gigawatts of new CHP by 2020.

CHP is an innovative and energy efficient method for generating electricity and thermal energy that can make communities more resilient to extreme weather events. In CHP systems, heat that is normally wasted in conventional power generation is recovered as useful energy, making this integrated approach far more efficient than conventional power generation.

SEEC Co-Chair Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) said, “Hurricane Sandy showed that some of our most critical infrastructure, including our hospitals, are vulnerable to power outages. While some hospitals lost power and were forced to relocate patients, facilities with CHP technology in the path of the hurricane stayed open and saved lives. As we rebuild communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy we must take this opportunity to make smart, long-term investments in our power grid with proven technologies such as CHP.”

“Encouraging the use of CHP units is wise long-term energy planning. They add resiliency to our energy infrastructure and they embrace energy efficiency as our fuel of choice. CHP units are exactly the types of investments we need to grow the economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and serve as a safety net by producing on site power during extreme weather events,” said Co-Chair Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY).

“As the costly and painful storms of recent years have demonstrated, climate change is already underway, and extreme weather events are becoming New Jersey’s new normal. As we continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development should make every effort to encourage more resilient, efficient structures and technologies that are better suited to an age of recurring superstorms,” said SEEC Vice-Chair Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ).

Said Vice-Chair Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), “Too many buildings are still reliant on older, inefficient energy systems. Using an opportunity like this to upgrade to an innovative, modern system like CHP makes sense for the community, for the environment and for the consumer.”

“Climate change has made extreme weather all too common. To help prevent further devastating loss, investments must be made today that will ensure our communities are better equipped to handle massive storms, drought and floods. Proven technologies continue to play an important role in ensuring our electric grid is more efficient and more resilient in the face of future natural disasters,” said SEEC Vice-Chair Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA).

The full text of the letter is below:

March 22, 2013

The Honorable Shaun Donovan
Secretary
Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20410

Dear Secretary Donovan:

We greatly appreciate the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) efforts to aid the States in their efforts to rebuild the areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Rebuilding provides a critical opportunity to improve our communities’ ability to withstand future extreme weather events. As part of this reconstruction process, the members of the House of Representatives Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) and our colleagues encourage your Department to issue guidance to states and localities regarding the installation of combined heat and power (CHP) systems.

As you know, CHP is an innovative and energy efficient method for generating electricity and thermal energy. In CHP systems, heat that normally is wasted in conventional power generation is recovered as useful energy, making this integrated approach far more efficient than conventional power generation. Conventional methods have a typical combined efficiency of 45 percent, while CHP systems can operate as high as 80 percent.

This technology is not only efficient, it also has demonstrated resiliency to extreme weather events. While 8.5 million residents in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut lost power and heat during Hurricane Sandy, facilities with CHP systems kept their electricity on and heat flowing. A notable example is South Oaks Hospital on Long Island, a 350,000 square foot facility that includes an acute psychiatric hospital, a nursing home, and an assisted living center. During the storm and its aftermath, the hospital maintained full power through the use of its 1.3-megawatt CHP system. Hurricane Sandy is not the only instance when CHP has demonstrated resiliency. In 1994, Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, MS, chose to install a 4.3-megawatt CHP system. Eleven years later, during Hurricane Katrina, the 646-bed hospital was the only hospital in the Jackson area to remain 100 percent operational during and after the storm.

The President has already committed to moving CHP forward by setting a national goal of 40 gigawatts of new CHP by 2020. Recently, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that his administration plans to allocate $20 million for clean-energy projects that demonstrate the ability to provide uninterrupted power and heat during extreme weather events. Also, Governor Christie’s administration recently announced a new CHP and fuel cell program to improve efficiency and grid reliability. We encourage HUD to help facilitate CHP deployment by providing guidance about these efficient and resilient systems to the areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

We thank you, again, for your efforts during this time and for your consideration of our request.

Sincerely,