Combined heat and power
Combined heat and power (CHP), also called cogeneration, is the concurrent production of electricity or mechanical power and useful thermal energy for heating or cooling from a single energy source.
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CHP recovers heat that would normally be lost during power generation and uses that heat to meet heating or cooling needs.
VerifiedThe Department of Energy describes CHP as a form of distributed generation, meaning generation located at or near the point where energy is consumed, in contrast to central station generation.
VerifiedThe Department of Energy's overview gives an expected CHP efficiency range of 65%–75%, compared with a U.S. national average of about 50% when the corresponding energy services are provided separately. These figures describe a general comparison, not the measured performance of an individual plant.
VerifiedThe Department of Energy's undated overview describes longstanding CHP use mainly in industrial, large commercial and institutional applications, including the provision of electricity and process heat in the United States. The passage does not establish whether any particular installation remains in operation.
VerifiedCHP encompasses a suite of technologies that can use a variety of fuels, rather than a single technology restricted to one fuel.
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