ABSTRACT

This chapter describes cogeneration technologies, identifies the current status and supply potential for cogeneration, discusses factors affecting its development, and suggests policy options for reducing barriers to industrial, commercial, and residential cogeneration. The term cogeneration means the combined generation of electricity and useful thermal energy, usually in the form of steam. Cogeneration equipment burns a fuel to sequentially produce electricity and useful thermal energy. A typical cogeneration system consists of a prime mover engine that converts the heat to a mechanical force, a generator that spins to produce electricity, and a system for using all or some of the remaining engine heat. In theory, any fuel or heat source could power a cogeneration system--solar, geothermal, nuclear, biomass, or fossil fuels. The cost of producing cogenerated electricity can typically range from $0.04 to $0.06/kwh for many regions of the country, assuming the use of steam topping and gas turbine technologies.