ABSTRACT
The practical use of cogeneration is as old as the generation of electricity itself. When electrification of broad areas was devised to replace gas and kerosene lighting in residences and commercial facilities the concept of central station power generation plants was born. District heating systems were popular during the late 1800’s and why not. District heating dates back to Roman times when warm water was circulated in open trenches to heat buildings and communal baths. District electrification dates back to Thomas Edison’s plants in New York, and it didn’t take long to combine the two. The prime movers that drove electric generators throw off waste heat that is normally blown to atmosphere. By capturing that heat and making low-pressure steam, that steam could be piped throughout the district for heating homes and businesses. Thus, cogeneration on a fairly large scale was born.
