Heat and power from a single source

By the inclusion of a heat recovery system together with an engine installation (an internal combustion engine or gas turbine), it is possible to extract two forms of energy -electrical and thermal -from a single source. This process is known as cogeneration.

Cogeneration is an environmentally friendly method of generating energy through converting as much as 90% of the introduced energy into electricity or heat, typically 40% electricity and 50% heat.

Cogeneration (90% EFFICIENCY)

Conventional power generation (62% EFFICIENCY)

The reason why cogeneration plants are becoming significant within energy generation worldwide is due to the overall efficiency of the process, resulting in lower energy costs and reduced emissions to the atmosphere compared with conventional power plants.

Due to the obvious benefits of cogeneration, many countries in Europe have introduced legislation to allow cogeneration plants to export surplus energy to the Grid. Indeed, some countries have special incentive programmes to promote the use of cogeneration energy by giving favourable prices for electricity exported to the Grid, or reduced prices for natural gas as the primary fuel.

Most countries in Europe today have a specific objective in their energy policy to increase the percentage of electrical power production from cogeneration installations The principle of cogeneration has been known for more than a hundred years, however it is only during the last ten years that cogeneration has become a real alternative for energy generation worldwide. The main reason for this is the marked improvement in the efficiency of the engines and turbines used in cogeneration techniques.

Electricity is the most valuable, as well as the most convenient and versatile form of energy in the world today. The electrical efficiency of the engine in a cogeneration plant is therefore the main criterium governing the economical feasibility of an installation. However, with respect to energy utilisation, the cogeneration plant must be designed based on the most efficient utilisation of the heat that can be recovered.