CHP & Energy Recovery
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, combined heat and power systems typically achieve 65–80% total system efficiency, with some systems approaching 90%, compared with 50–55% fuel efficiency for separate heat and grid-power production.
THE CURRENT SITUATION
Conventional power generation often wastes large amounts of usable heat. Combined heat and power, also known as cogeneration, captures this heat and uses it for heating, cooling, industrial processes or district energy networks.
This is increasingly important because heating and cooling account for around half of the European Union’s energy consumption. Recovering heat from power generation, waste-to-energy plants, industrial processes, wastewater and data centres can reduce fuel use, improve system efficiency and lower emissions.
The International Energy Agency also highlights district heating as a practical route for using otherwise wasted heat. If fully integrated into district heating networks, reused heat from data centres could provide up to 300 TWh of space heating to nearby buildings by 2030.
POSITIVE IMPACT
Global Gateways designs energy recovery into its infrastructure. Recovered thermal energy can be used for district heating, district cooling, industrial heat demand and internal process efficiency.
By combining power generation with useful heat recovery, Global Gateways plants reduce wasted energy, improve local energy resilience and support carbon-negative infrastructure where recovered heat is linked with renewable fuels, waste treatment and carbon-management systems
POSITIVE IMPACT
Global Gateways uses an efficient thermal energy recovery system in our designs in our power plants.
Recovered thermal energy will be used for the following:Input energy for the cooling network
Input energy for the heating network
Global Gateways designs energy recovery into its infrastructure. Recovered thermal energy can be used for district heating, district cooling, industrial heat demand and internal process efficiency.
By combining power generation with useful heat recovery, Global Gateways plants reduce wasted energy, improve local energy resilience and support carbon-negative infrastructure where recovered heat is linked with renewable fuels, waste treatment and carbon-management systems