Benefits of Combined Heat and Power Systems for Reducing Pollutant Emissions in MANE-VU States

Title: Benefits of Combined Heat and Power Systems for Reducing Pollutant Emissions in MANE-VU States
Organization: MANE-VU Technical Support Committee
Publication Date: March 9, 2016
Role: Primary Author and Analyst
Executive Summary:

Combined Heat & Power (CHP), or cogeneration, is a general term that refers to converting systems that separately produce heat and electricity to integrated systems that produce both. A traditional system with separate power and heat production can achieve an efficiency of 45%, whereas CHP can achieve efficiencies of 80%. A more advanced type of system called trigeneration uses a single integrated process for heating, electricity, and cooling. In addition to the efficiency benefits associated with CHP, transmission losses are decreased since electricity is now produced closer to the end user. This report examines the benefits of installing cogeneration or trigeneration systems for different applications in the MANE-VU states.

This report incorporates an analysis conducted by ICF international that examined the technical and economic potential for CHP installations on a national basis. The ERTAC EGU tool was then used to estimate criteria pollutant benefits from reduced generation in the power sector. With the CHP technologies discussed in the paper,increases in CHP penetration would lead to significant decreases in SO2pollution in MANE-VU due to displacement of current base load generation. Conversely,there was an increase in onsite NOX emissions from CHP systems in some of the scenarios examined. Smaller CHP systems would need to meet the NOX standards outlined in the OTC Stationary Generator Model Rule to have a benefit. Larger systems would have a NOX emission benefit if Lowest Achievable Emission Rates (LAER) were applied.

MANE-VU TSC – Combined Heat and Power Status Report – Final

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