Steven Goldenberg was quoted in the NJ Spotlight article "State Agency Eases Requirement to Keep CHP Plants Independent of Grid." While the full text can be found in the October 17, 2013, issue of NJ Spotlight, a synopsis is noted below.
The state of New Jersey backed away from a proposal that smaller, but more efficient, power plants be able to operate independently even if the regional power grid goes down as a condition to win financial incentives to build the units.
In a proposal approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the agency discarded the requirement, saying the additional costs imposed by the condition might discourage the building of combined heat and power (CHP) plants.
CHP proponents have argued that enabling the plants to operate independent of the power grid, known as "islanding," generally means investing in new energy management tools and updates to older facilities, which would drive up costs and make deployments far too expensive.
"Islanding is a very important concept," said Steven Goldenberg. "But the state needs to recognize there are additional costs involved [in achieving that goal]."
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