TOPIC 'Heat Pumps' on Mar 18, 2009 (CET)
Cogeneration Makes a Difference in More Ways Than One
In today's world, where getting the most output for your money means multitasking as often as possible, it should be no surprise that many companies are seeking the most from their power stations, with as little waste as possible. Thus, more and more forward thinking companies are looking to cogeneration. In cogeneration, power stations or heat generators are used to simultaneously produce both electricity and heat that can be used, rather that just lost as waste as happens with most thermal heat in conventional operations.
In Bulgaria, for example, the meat processor Mekom has begun construction on a biogas, electricity and steam producing facility that will produce 70% power and 30% steam that the company will use in its day to day operations. Rather than relying on fossil fuels, the facility will utilize animal waste which it will convert into the raw material needed for power and steam production. If the company's own animal feedstock waste isn't sufficient, it can also use waste from the local landfill.
As a good example of the immediate benefits of cogeneration, just consider what health and hygiene company Kimberly-Clark has accomplished. Already recognized by the U. S. EPA as green power users, Kimberly-Clark's cogeneration boiler, which utilizes the company's wood waste to produce the steam to power its generators, has been estimated by the EPA to offset the carbon dioxide emissions of 29,000 cars while producing enough electricity for over 7% of the company's annual use.
More than anything else, cogeneration means getting the most from every aspect of a power plant's production. Much like a turbocharger in an automobile engine, cogeneration plants can use waste heat or steam produced from waste heat to help turn the turbines that, in turn, create more power for less input. A cogeneration heating system can't produce all of its own fuel, but it can produce enough to make a very noticeable difference in both energy output and the carbon footprint left behind. For more and more companies, it's a win-win situation.
Jason Grace
on behalf of the
BascoTec Internet Limited
Technologie Park 13
33100 Paderborn
Germany
