Cogeneration and trigeneration
Cogeneration and trigeneration refers to installations that use an engine that burns natural gas to generate electricity onsite. The waste heat is retained and used for heating or converted to chilled water for cooling through absorption chillers. Cogeneration produces electricity and heating, whereas tri-generation produces electricity, heating and cooling.
Benefits include:
- Using the heat by-product of combustion can decrease energy costs and increase efficiency to up to 80%
- Lower CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions
- A single fuel source for both power and thermal site energy
- Possible increases in NABERS and Green Star ratings
- Increased reliability in the event of electricity grid failure