Cogeneration

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Biomass

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Chia-Meng Rice Mill, Thailand

One of the largest rice mills in ASEAN opts for Cogeneration

Commissioned: March 1997

Milling capacity: 500 tons of paddy per day

Cogeneration Potential: 2.5 MV

Energy source: Rice husk

How does it work?
It consists of a boiler supplying steam to a condensing turbine which in turn generates electricity to a maximum of 2.5MW

The spent steam form the boiler is used for drying the paddy

Flue gas - Combustion exhaust gas

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Municipal Waste Incineration: Co-generation from wood-wastes

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ECO SWN Pvt Ltd., Singapore, a major waste management cooperation invests in cogeneration to meet its energy requirements

Commissioned: December, 2004

Cogeneration Potential: 0.53 MV

Energy source: Wood wastes (beams, packing materials, boxes, sawdust)

How does it work?
The plant burns wood waste to generate electricity. A turbine connected to a generator produces 530 KW of electricity when supplied by steam from the boiler. The plant uses the 15 tons of the spent steam to sterilize and recycle waste

Show me the money:
The company charges $55 for every tonne of wood chips, it disposes
Annual operation costs for running the facility is $634,000 The company claims that at the present rate, it will be able to recover investments within 5 years

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CHP Power Plant, Copenhagen District, Denmark

Run by two local companies (CTR/IS and VEKS/I), this is one of the largest district heating system of Denmark

Setup in 1984
Energy source: waste heat from electricity production — normally released into the sea. The system captures and channels it back through pipes into peoples’ homes

How does it work?
Waste heat, usually sent into the sea as a byproduct from the incineration plants and Combined Heat and Power plants (CHPs), is pumped through a 1,300 km network of pipes straight into homes. The system maintains water temperature providing homes with cheap heat from a waste product.

The CTR and VEKS system connects four CHP power plants, four waste incinerators and more than 50 peak load boiler plants with more than 20 distribution companies in one large pool-operated system, with a total heat production of around 30,000 Terra Joules.

Show me the money
It supplies 97% of the City with clean, reliable and affordable heating. The system cuts household bills by 1,400 EUR annually, and has saved Copenhagen district the equivalent of 203,000 tons of oil every year.

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Surplus heat from industries and bio- fuel refineries.

Arvind Mills, Ahmedabad, India – A Textile manufacturer is one of the first Captive cogeneration plants in the country.

Setup in1997

Cogeneration Potential- 27 MW

Energy source: Natural gas/ Naptha/ Agro-waste

How does it work?

The company cuts costs by meeting its power, heating and cooling requirements through cogeneration. The spent steam is used further for textile processing. The electricity is also used to run an effluent treatment plant that decreases their fresh water requirement by 85%

Show me the money:

Total investment - US$ 50million
Project completed within 16-18months.

Payback period - less than four years

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Geothermal

Svartsengi, Iceland

The Svartsengi cooperation started the first geothermal power plant in the world. The plant combines generation of electricity with production of hot water for district heating that serves 20,000 people

Set up in - 1976

Cogeneration Potential: 46.4 MW 150 Mega joules per second (in the form of hot water)

Energy source: Geothermal steam and Brine

How does it work?

The plant is built over an old lava field. It harnesses the energy of the open valves and fissures lining this geothermal fault line to run a Combined Heat and Power plant. Till date, 20 wells have been dug to trap steam vents and hot brine streams – two thirds sea water, running underground – to generate power.

Part of the hot steam is used to generate electricity and the rest along with the brine is distributed to heat nine towns and an International airport.

The effluent brine from the plant is disposed of into a surface pond, called the Blue Lagoon, popular to tourists and people suffering from psoriasis and other forms of eczema seeking therapeutic effects from the silica rich brine.

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Solar Thermal

Solar Cooling on the roofs of ISI PERGRINE, a business center of Trento, Italy

Cogeneration potential – 108 KW

Energy source: Solar panels

How does it work?

Solar panels on the roof concentrate and store sun’s energy for winter heating and summer cooling of the two storey tall business center. The panels also meet the electricity needs of the Center.

The heat concentrated by the solar panels is used to heat water which is circulated through the building during winters. In summertime, the hot water is used to run coolers which lower the temperature of the building’s ventilation.