[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 97 (Thursday, July 12, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DISTRIBUTED POWER HYBRID ENERGY ACT

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                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 12, 2001

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the 
Distributed Power Hybrid Energy Act. This bill would direct the 
Secretary of Energy to develop and implement a strategy for research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial application of distributed 
power hybrid energy systems.
  Distributed power is modular electric generation or storage located 
close to the point of use, well suited for the use of renewable energy 
technologies such as wind turbines and photovoltaics, and also of 
clean, efficient, fossil-fuel technologies such as gas turbines and 
fuel cells.
  Distributed power avoids the need for and cost of additional 
transmission lines and pipelines, reduces associated delivery losses, 
and increases energy efficiency. In addition, distributed power can 
provide insurance against energy disruptions and expand the available 
energy service choices for consumers.
  By their very nature, renewable resources are distributed. Our 
ability to cost-effectively take advantage of our renewable, indigenous 
resources can be greatly advanced through systems that minimize the 
intermittency of these resources. Distributed power hybrid systems can 
help accomplish this.
  ``Hybridizing'' distributed power systems--combining two renewable 
sources or a renewable and a fossil source--enables us to offset the 
weaknesses of one technology with the strengths of another. For 
example, in a hybrid system, the intermittency of wind power can be 
offset by the reliability and affordability of power generated by a 
microturbine.
  My bill would direct the Secretary of Energy to develop a distributed 
power hybrid systems strategy identifying opportunities for and 
barriers to such systems, technology gaps that need to be closed, and 
system integration tools that are necessary to plan, design, build and 
operate such systems.
  Mr. Speaker, distributed generation represents the most significant 
technological change in the electric industry in decades. Knowing this, 
it makes sense to focus our R&D priorities on distributed power hybrid 
systems that can both help improve power reliability and affordability 
and bring more efficiency and cleaner energy resources into the mix. My 
bill would help us do this. I look forward to working with Members of 
the House to move forward with this important initiative.

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