Executive Summary
Mission and Goals
In October, 1991, more than sixty executives and experts met in
Alexandria, Virginia to outline a ten year Action Plan for District
Energy. Attendees represented
industry, government, non-profit associations, and academia. Their
challenge was to develop a series of goals and actions that can
Make District Energy a major contributor to the energy security, environmental
quality and economy of the United States within the next decade.
The Action Plan that emerged from the meeting charts an aggressive
long-term strategy for the achievement of four primary goals:
- A Credible Foundation - To compile and maintain information
that characterizes the District Energy community and its installed facility
base, and to develop tools that quantify its range of comparative
benefits and costs
- A Competitive Position - To better understand customer needs,
while strengthening industry capacity and developing the research
and technical support essential to meet those needs in a price-competitive
manner.
- An Effective Presence To provide leadership that can build
public awareness, influence decision makers, and assure that District Energy
will be a significant part of America's energy future.
- A Fair Policy Climate - To ensure that national and state
policy and legislation recognizes the value of District Energy, and to address
critical financial and regulatory barriers to its vitality.
The Action Plan describes general steps and responsibilities to
reach these goals. Participants in the Plan's formative workshop
are listed at the end of this document. A Work Program that schedules
specific activities during 1992-1993 will be completed in the
Spring of 1992.
Purpose and Responsibility
The steps outlined in this Action Plan are guidelines for District Energy
proponents. They are intended for use when working with policy
developers, such as congressional representatives and staff, community
leaders and planners, municipal officials, engineers, architects,
developers, the financial community, and others who may have an
interest in the public benefits and commercial advantages of a
strong American District Energy industry. The Plan is a dynamic framework
for action. It will accommodate revisions that reinforce successes,
correct for failures, and adopt changes after its first implementation
steps.
Representatives from the District Energy community, including private industry,
government, academia and defense, participated in the development
of this Plan. Its implementation will require endorsement by that
community, and their coordinated actions to manage and update
it.
The Planning Committee offers sincere thanks to the individuals
and organizations who provided ideas, advice and resources. While
we have attempted to represent their views and those of the larger
District Energy community, the recommendations that follow are the responsibility
of the Planning Committee alone.