WASHINGTON, D.C.--An executive order signed by President Obama Aug. 30 calls for increasing the use of combined heat and power 50 percent by 2020, shining a spotlight on a “forgotten” energy resource that involves using heat produced during electricity generation and other industrial processes.

In addition to establishing a national goal of deploying 40 more gigawatts of combined heat and power from industrial sources in less than a decade, the executive order requires federal agencies to coordinate with other parties to identify and encourage best practice policies for industrial energy efficiency and combined heat and power (CHP).