Researchers Exploring New, Smaller Cogen Applications

Researchers at three California universities are exploring new ways of applying existing combined heat and power (CHP) technologies to encourage their adoption by small businesses and even residential homeowners. The $300,000 effort is one of five such regional projects being funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Initial efforts will focus on helping businesses assess the feasibility of CHP installations to their operations. The researchers say such units will likely be conventional natural-gas combustion systems, methane-powered systems connected to wastewater-treatment or landfill operations, or microturbine-based systems. Equipment will be attached to a generator, with waste heat channeled to heating and air-conditioning systems.

Team members also will conduct case studies of existing systems, examine related regulatory issues and organize workshops and other training programs. Another area of study is the integration of CHP systems with renewable energy sources.

The researchers are affiliated with the University of California’s Berkeley and Irvine campuses as well as San Diego State University.

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