Cogeneration

Published by Veolia Portugal, SA

Infrastructure type(s)
Hospitais

Intervention domain(s)
Renewable Energy

Keyword(s)
Water efficiency Cogeneration

Description

Veolia, with more than 160 years of history, has a presence in 50+ countries with around 179,000 employees, with the purpose of ecological transformation and mission “Resourcing the World”.

In Portugal, Veolia has been present since 1992, operating in the areas of Water, Waste and Energy with solutions tailored to the needs of its customers: industries, cities and the specialized tertiary sector.

Energy efficiency, resource security, reduction of energy bills and environmental impact are crucial issues when it comes to energy production.
Cogeneration is a process of combined production of thermal energy and electrical energy, in an integrated system, from a single fuel source, such as natural gas. The waste heat produced in electricity generation is, in this case, recovered and converted for use in space heating, water heating, steam production and in absorption chillers for cold production (trigeneration).
Cogeneration units are an advantageous solution in multiple aspects:
- Higher efficiency when compared to conventional units, in which heat and electricity are produced separately. Cogeneration allows saving more than 10% of primary energy, as well as valuing the electricity generated - for sale to the grid or self-consumption.
- By producing electricity in a decentralized way, losses in distribution networks can be reduced by 2.5 to 7%
- Ensuring a continuous, high-quality flow of thermal and electrical energy, it promotes greater efficiency and reliability of energy supply. For this reason, they are solutions especially suitable for hospitals - including their use as back-up and emergency units.
- When compared to units powered by gas, fuel derived from petroleum or coal, cogeneration units reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by 14%, 24% and 28%, respectively.