Guidelines for Assessing the Feasibility of Small Cogeneration Systems

Abstract

Cogeneration has long been practiced by large industrial firms, which have relatively constant demands for both electricity and heat. In recent years cogeneration has also become attractive for smaller energy users as a result of the great escalation of energy prices in the last decade and the passage of PURPA. Where electric rates are sufficiently high, cogeneration can be feasible for entities having energy bills as low as $500,000 per year, including small industrial firms, office buildings, hospitals, colleges, and shopping centers. This paper will present guidelines for assessing the feasibility of cogeneration for small to medium sized energy users, and it will describe the commercially available technologies that can be utilized.