What You Need To Know About Cogeneration

It has been claimed that around 75% of energy that we produce gets dissipated as waste heat. This encompasses the heat made by a car’s engine, the light bulbs within a home as well as other devices which require energy to function. When electricity is produced, waste energy is also made. We are lucky to have technologies like cogeneration as well astrigeneration that aid in limiting the waste heat.

What exactly is cogeneration?

Cogeneration is also referred to as combined heat and power or CHP. This encompasses the simultaneous formation of multiple forms of energy particularly from a single fuel source. The two forms of energy that are often produced in many cogerationapplications include thermal and electrical energy.

Cogeneration applications are usually thought to be distributed generation applications. These are often at or close to the facilities that they power. This is not like traditional power plants which are located centrally. These experience energy loses because of transmission plus distribution.

The way that cogeneration occurs

The cogeneration system tends to be built around some prime mover. This can include reciprocating engine, turbine and fuel cells. The prime mover along with an alternator can convert the chemical energy that is stored within the fuel to helpful electrical energy. The fuel which is often employed includes natural gas. However diesel and hydrogen may also be utilized.

Why consider cogeneration

Cogeneration provides benefits to the environment as well as to businesses’ bottom lines. The high efficiency that occurs in converting the energy within the original fuel into required energy tends to be the foundation of the benefits. You should know that cogeneration gives much better efficiency in comparison to traditional grid that has central power plants.

A cogeneration application can convert around 70-90% of the energy present in the original fuel to energy that can be used. In a traditional grid only less than a third of energy present in the original fuel gets turned into energy.

Cogeneration is sustainable. When there is higher efficiency then less fuel gets used. Most of the globe’s electricity gets produced using mostly fossil fuels, when less fuel gets employed; it can limit the facility’s carbon footprint. The limitation of excess heat given off into the atmosphere occurs.

When less fuel gets employed to get the work done, less energy costs along with better financial performanceoccurs. The operational saving will be able to compensate for your initial investment required for a cogeneration system and that within only the first couple of years.

You can consider resource recovery centre at SUEZ for instance if you are interested in cogeneration. It is important to look for a good facility so that they can provide you with what you need. Do yourresearch by looking at the options present. Remember that the investment is a huge one and so should be done carefully. In the long run you will be helping the environment and also using waste rather than make it lie around in landfills.