Imperial College London has produced a report identifying important benefits of a higher penetration of micro-cogeneration, including fuel cell micro-cogeneration (fuel cell micro combined heat and power or FC micro-CHP), for the future energy system. The report found that, when compared with an energy system with no micro-CHP, adding micro-CHP to the energy mix generates a gross reduction in infrastructure and operating costs of more than €6,000 for every kilowatt of installed capacity up to 2050. Micro-CHP system benefits at distribution level will amount to € 1,600 – € 2,600 per installed kilowatt-electric (kWe), mainly by deferring the investment cost at the low voltage level. Wide deployment of micro-CHP is not only improving the efficiency of the overall system, but also significantly reducing carbon emissions, in the range of 370 – 1,100 kg CO2 per year for each kWe of installed micro-CHP capacity. With the right framework in place, micro-CHP, including FC micro-CHP, could deliver more than 32 million tonne CO2reductions in 2030, equivalent to Slovakia’s total emission projections for 2030.
Decentralized Energy 6th Oct 2017 read more »
