ABSTRACT
Combined heat and power (CHP), also known as cogeneration, is an efficient, clean, and reliable approach to generating power and thermal energy from a single fuel source. Basically, CHP is the simultaneous production of electricity and heat from a single fuel source, such as natural gas, biomass, biogas, coal, or oil. Wastewater treatment plants that have anaerobic digesters create methane gas as a byproduct of digestion of biosolids. Currently, a number of these plants release methane gas by flaring, converting methane to CO2 and releasing it into the environment. Methane gas, however, is a good source of energy. By installing a CHP system designed to meet the thermal and electrical base loads of the plant, CHP can greatly increase the plant’s operational efficiency and decrease energy costs. At the same time, CHP reduces the emission of greenhouse gases, which some feel may contribute to global climate change.
