Cogeneration - definition
Cogeneration - definition
Cogeneration, also referred to as combined heat and power (CHP), is a technology for the simultaneous generation of electricity and heat in a single process, usually in combined heat and power plants or decentralised generation units. Unlike traditional methods of energy production, in which a significant proportion of primary energy (e.g. fuels burned) is lost as waste heat, cogeneration enables it to be managed efficiently, significantly increasing the overall efficiency of fuel chemical energy conversion.
A typical CHP system consists of a reciprocating engine, a gas or steam turbine, coupled to an electric generator, and a heat exchanger that recovers heat energy from exhaust gas, coolant or process steam. The recovered heat can be used for heating buildings, industrial processes, hot water production or absorption cooling systems (trigeneration).
From an energy engineering perspective, cogeneration makes it possible to increase the overall energy efficiency from a typical 35-40% in a conventional power plant to as much as 85-90% in well-designed cogeneration systems. CHP technologies can run on both fossil fuels (natural gas, fuel oil) and renewable fuels (biogas, biomass), making them an important tool for energy transformation.
CHP plays a strategic role in the district heating sector, especially in countries with cold climates and high demand for useful heat, and its development is supported by climate policies and market mechanisms that promote energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It does, however, require adequate balancing of heat and electricity demand and a transmission infrastructure suited to real-time dynamic management of energy flows.
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