Cogeneration Is Clean , Efficient , Reliable – and Saves Money!
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Cogeneration is a method of generating multiple forms of usable energy at the same time. There are several types of cogeneration including heat and mechanical(potential energy plus kinetic energy), heat and power, trigeneration (usually heating, cooling, and electricity) and any system that that reduces emissions and improves efficiency by reusing the waste heat. Here at Elite Energy, we specialize in a form of cogeneration called combined heat and power (CHP).
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CHP increases efficiency by using waste heat to generate hot water for use in boilers, water heaters, etc. This increased efficiency leads to a better bottom line in the long run. A well designed and thermally balanced CHP plant operates between 60% and 85% thermal efficiency – more than double the efficiency of a standard central power plant. The increased efficiency is achieved by using more of the wasted energy to displace other heating and cooling energy sources, i.e. using the waste heat to provide process heat, domestic hot water and chilled water for air conditioning.
The environmental footprint of these plants is equally as important as their energy use. In the case of efficient cogen plants, there is a major reduction of CO2 compared to traditional electric power plants or the use of onsite boilers and chillers for other energy needs. In comparing facilities with cogen plants against those using onsite boilers and chillers, facilities with a cogen reduced emissions between 28% and 82%. The higher level of reductions came from thermally balanced or high-efficiency CHP (those with a thermal efficiency of 65% or more).
The heat from a cogeneration system may also be used to drive the reaction in an absorption chiller. An absorption chiller uses a refrigerant with a very low boiling point (less than 0°F). When this refrigerant evaporates (boils), it takes some heat away with it, providing the cooling effect. An absorption chiller changes the gas back into a liquid using a method that needs only heat and has no moving parts other than a few small pumps. Absorption/Adsorption chillers are often used in combined heat and power systems where there is no other use for the heat generated. This process is sometimes referred to as Combined Cooling, Heat and Power (CCHP) which is also called trigeneration.
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COGENERATION &
COMBINED HEAT AND POWER
Some examples of facilities for which CHP makes sense include :
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Colleges and Universities: Higher education institutions have the largest number of existing cogen systems. Universities are microgrids with a variety of needs that can be fulfilled by cogeneration.
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Industrial Parks: A large number of commercial and industrial operations are located in contiguous industrial park developments. The employment of cogeneration allows efficient use of all the energy developed in conjunction with a microgrid to support business-critical electric loads during power outages.
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Pharmaceutical Facilities: Research & development and manufacturing are energy intensive activities with high ventilation rates and associated high energy costs. Many pharmaceutical companies with multi-building campus locations currently have onsite CHP cogeneration.
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Hospitals and Health Care Facilities: Hospitals are required to have redundant electrical services and emergency generators while health care facilitates have very high HVAC costs due to their use of fresh air and high rates of air changes per hour (often six times that of a conventional office building). These buildings are also very electric power intensive.
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Port Facilities: These include large warehousing and industrial facilities (including refrigerated storage) associated with their cargo operations.
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Petroleum Refining and Chemical Industries: This is a market sector where CHP has made substantial inroads with many initial large scale applications.
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Hotels: Full-service hotels use lots of hot water, heating, and air conditioning.
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Sewerage Treatment Plants: If the plant employs a digester, the gas can be used as fuel and the generated heat can be used to keep the digestion process at the proper temperature.
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