Will commercial cogeneration come out of the closet

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · Energy Manage. (Cleveland, Ohio); (United States)

OSTI ID:6165505

Lawn, J

Technological developments, market changes, and the financial incentives of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) offer utilities a chance to revolutionize power production by encouraging on-site cogeneration. Cogeneration not only improves efficiency and levels peak demand of utilities, but it can postpone and even avoid the costs of new capacity. Despite some skepticism left over from earlier total energy efforts, the economics is promising for some small-scale users because of the development of induction generator packages that require less engineering. The constraints for both commercial and industrial users include capital needs, the uncertainty of environmental regulations, and occasional resistance from utilities. A consistent thermal baseload is often the prime incentive rather than electrical power, but future gas and electric rates will be a significant factor. The future for on-site generation depends on how well utilities and users cooperate to make the economics mutually beneficial. 1 figure. (DCK)

• OSTI ID: 6165505
• Journal Information: Energy Manage. (Cleveland, Ohio); (United States), Journal Name: Energy Manage. (Cleveland, Ohio); (United States) Vol. 9:4; ISSN ENEMD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290800 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Heat Utilization-- (1980-)
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320304 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Waste Heat Recovery & Utilization
320603* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Municipalities & Community Systems-- Public Utilities-- (1980-)
COGENERATION
COMMERCIALIZATION
DEUS
ECONOMICS
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
LOAD MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT
ON-SITE POWER GENERATION
POWER GENERATION
PUBLIC UTILITIES
STEAM GENERATION
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION