Role of Cogeneration Systems in Sustainability of Energy

Energy source on the world is tending to run out day by day while the energy need of humanity is increasing simultaneously. There are two ways to overcome this problem; one of them is to bring out and improve new and renewable energy sources like solar or wind energy systems. The other way is to improve conventional energy converting systems for using existing energy source more efficiently and for longer time, like cogeneration systems. Cogeneration system is one of the ways to save the energy and use the energy efficiently. That system permits the energy of the fuel to be more efficiently exploited than in electric and thermal separate generation. Compared to separate fossil-fired generation of heat and electricity, CHP generation may result in a consistent energy conservation (usually ranging from 10% to 30%) while the avoided CO2 emissions are, as a first approximation, similar to the amount of energy saving. It is achieved by re-using the heat emitted as a by-product of electricity generation for domestic or industrial heating purposes. For the thermal energy market, this not only saves fuel costs but also provides a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and conventional air pollutants. In this study, the importance of cogeneration systems is emphasized by the help of the studies on it over the world. Then, a case study is made for a hospital to present the sustainability aspects of cogeneration systems.