Features and benefits

In the energy sector of the former Soviet Union is historically a situation of very high cost and high cost of electricity to the consumer that makes to think about alternative sources of electricity. These alternative sources are autonomous power plant (mini-CHP), while generating electricity and thermal energy, ie cogeneration units.
Cogeneration plants are called installations, while generating electricity and thermal energy. They consist of the engine (diesel engine, reciprocating engine, gas turbine), generator, heat exchangers, and communication systems.
In the face of rising energy prices and tightening requirements on environmental safety of such systems are becoming increasingly common.
The advantages of cogeneration are:
· Low, compared with rates of centralized systems, the cost of kW hours.
· Smaller losses in the transmission of thermal energy compared with central heating mains;
· Use of gas of various compositions (natural (main) gas, biogas, coal mine gas, sewage gas, flare gas and gas chemical production) allows for cogeneration installations in various areas of the economy (oil gazodobyvavyuschaya industry, construction, agriculture, sewage treatment, chemical industry and so on).
By way of application of cogeneration plants are the most developed countries of Europe.
In calculating the economic efficiency of cogeneration plant must take into account the following factors:
- Mode of Power (main, backup);
- The cost of electricity proposed centralized systems;
- The cost of connection to centralized systems;
- The cost and the possibility of using the produced thermal energy;
- The cost of fuel and lubricants and their delivery systems;
- Cost of maintenance.
In addition to these factors, must also be considered money damages in case of an insured event, ie the losses incurred by the consumer with the disappearance of thermal or electrical energy. This value should be determined and taken into account for each case.
Here are the basic operational characteristics of cogeneration plants with gas engines, gas turbine and diesel engines. Operating costs clearly show that in native mode, the most cost-effective are cogeneration units with gas engines, which have lower operating costs, high service life before overhaul, and other benefits.