Combined heat and power: How much carbon and energy can it save for manufacturers?
As part of a September 1997 National Laboratory study for the US Department of Energy, the authors estimated the potential for reducing industrial energy consumption and carbon emissions using advanced technologies for combined heat and power (CHP) for the year 2010. In this paper the authors re-analyze the potential for CHP in manufacturing only. The authors also refine the assessment by more accurately estimating the average efficiency of industrial boilers most likely to be replaced by CHP. The authors do this with recent GRI estimates of the age distribution of industrial boilers and standard age-efficiency equations. The previous estimate was based on use of the best CHP technology available, such as the about-to-be commercialized industrial advanced turbine system (ATS). This estimate assumes the use of existing off-the-shelf CHP technologies. Data is now available with which to develop a more realistic suite of penetration rates for existing and new CHP technologies. However, potential variation in actions of state and federal electricity and environmental regulators introduces uncertainties in the use of existing and potential new CHP far greater than those in previous technology penetration estimates. This is, thus, the maximum cost-effective technical potential for the frozen technology case. The authors find that if manufacturers in 1994 had generated all their steam and electric needs with existing CHP technologies, they could have reduced carbon equivalent (carbon dioxide) emissions by up to 30 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MtC) or nearly 20%. This result is consistent with carbon and energy savings found in other studies. For example, the aforementioned laboratory study found that just three CHP technologies, fuel cells, advanced turbines, and integrated combined cycle technologies, accounted for nearly 10% of the study's projected carbon savings of 400 MtC by 2010--enough to reduce projected US 2010 emissions to 1990 levels.
- Research Organization:
- Northeast-Midwest Inst., Washington, DC (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20002735
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 33rd Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Colorado Springs, CO (US), 08/02/1998--08/06/1998; Other Information: 1 CD-ROM. Operating system required: Windows 3.x; Windows 95/NT; Macintosh; UNIX. All systems need 2X CD-ROM drive.; PBD: 1998; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 33. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, by Anghaie, S. [ed.], [2800] pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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