Renewable energy – Combined heat and power

Combined heat and power (CHP) can lead to a high-energy efficiency. When electricity is generated in power plants, heat is generated and will be lost as residual heat. A CHP can reuse this residual heat for heating tap water. This method achieves a return that is twice as high as compared to separate production of electricity and heat. 

The operation of CHP is quite simple: a fuel turns a motor, which in turn turns an alternator into motion, and thus electricity can be produced. In addition, the alternator movements will also generate heat; this is cooled by a cooling liquid to prevent overheating. A heat exchanger recycles this heat from the cooling liquid and uses it to generate warm water. Additionally, the heat from the combustion gases is recovered via condensation and used for the production of hot water.