Building Design + Construction
Summary
Cogeneration is more efficient than traditional power generation, reduces carbon emissions, has high returns on the initial investment, improves reliability, and offers a platform for additional renewable resources and energy storage for a facility. But what is cogeneration? And is it suitable for all facilities?
Cogeneration—or combined heat and power (CHP)—creates multiple forms of useful energy from a sole source. Combustion engines use natural gas to power a generator and create electricity. In a standard generation system, the waste heat from producing electricity is released into the atmosphere. A CHP system captures and converts the exhaust to produce even more energy in the form of heating, cooling, or hot water.
A cogeneration system converts 100 units of fuel into 35 units of electricity and 50 units of heat, while losing only 15 units of energy. Comparatively, a traditional generation method requires 165 units of fuel to produce the same amount of electricity, and additional sources are needed for HVAC purposes.
The technology in CHP uses waste heat recovery devices, such as waste heat boilers, to create thermal energy or additional electric power from the exhaust. This system significantly improves energy efficiency by using less fuel per unit of energy, which dramatically reduces CO2 emissions and other pollutants. Specifically, a cogeneration system’s carbon dioxide emission factor is 48.9% lower than conventional systems.
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