A Renewed Interest in CHP (Combined Heat and Power)
As the interest in cleaner energy paired with uninterrupted power supplies continues to steadily increase in demand, there has been a significant interest in cogeneration. While we have briefly touched on cogeneration, also known as Combined Heat and Power Systems or CHP for short, we wanted to expand more in-depth on why this technology has been on the radar when it comes to greener solutions.
For starters, CHP can potentially reach over 80 percent efficiency when it comes to reducing waste and mitigating distribution losses. This is achieved by capturing and using heat that would usually be wasted otherwise. Thanks to CHP technology, the on-site system is able to produce both electricity and thermal energy at high efficiency ratings by using a specific range of technologies and fuels combined into one power system. This makes it so when power is being produced, heat that would normally be lost or wasted is instead applied for loads in a facility by form of process heating, steam, hot water, or even chilled water.
While there are some bigger setups that much larger facilities or applications may need to implement to achieve an efficient CHP system that uses combustion turbines or reciprocating engines with a heat recovery unit or a steam boiler setup with a stream turbine, there has been an increase in product of packaged CHP systems, which are essentially factory-built CHP systems that come as a standardized system often with a natural gas generator at its center and ready to install at a building or facility. These packaged systems can drastically reduce the lead time for acquiring and installing a CHP system.
Common CHP Applications
Although there can be many uses for a CHP system, these types of systems fare much better for specific applications because CHP products both electricity and thermal energy. Some examples are:
Commercial buildings – office buildings, retail stores, shopping centers, hotels, nursing homes and senior living facilities, and even manufacturing and processing facilities
Industrial applications –agricultural, chemical plants, and food processing facilities
Municipalities – from local utilities, water treatment facilities, educational institutions, hospitals, etc
Residential – buildings such as multifamily housing, co-operatives, and private communities
It should be noted that this is not a comprehensive list of examples. There are many numerous applications where combined heat and power technologies can be implemented.
As the demand for energy solutions continues to increase and green initiatives such as decarbonization grow, there has been a greater investment in the development and implementation of cogeneration systems. While the interest in CHP has increased in recent years and is quickly gaining greater traction, this type of technology has been used for over 100 years. A lot of the newer developments being made are to enhance support to the modern electrical grid in efforts to keep it as stable and secure as possible, as well as development of better potential microgrid power systems. This often works in tandem with new innovations to power generation technology such as natural gas generators, which often pair together with CHP technologies.
Cogeneration and combined heat and power (CHP) systems are continuing to develop and be refined at a rapid pace. While CHP and be used across many different applications, it does not necessarily mean that it may be a good fit for all applications.
If you’re looking for more information on CHP or cogeneration setups or looking for a generator that would fit your needs for this type of setup, feel free to reach out to us at Woodstock Power Company!
Fill out our Contact Form or give us a call as 610-658-3242
Additionally, you can send us an email at sales@woodstockpower.com
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