CCHP (Combined Cooling Heating & Power) refers to the generation of electrical power with the simultaneous use of the heat created by the generation process. The by-product heat energy is often used to heat water for direct use (Cogeneration), and/or consumption by Chillers (Trigeneration) to produce cold water.
To generate the electrical power Alternators are coupled to prime movers that are commonly gas fired internal combustion engines using either natural or bio gas as their fuel source. Bio Gas, normally methane is commonly generated on site using digesters decomposing organic waste from the production process, or direct collection from landfill sites.
The economic and environmental benefits of CCHP systems are well documented, unfortunately their broader use is being held back by overly complex grid connection processes and (sometimes) heavy regulatory burdens, as well as the ongoing increase in natural gas prices.
For more information on the benefits of CoGeneration see the Clean Energy Council web site.
A typical CCHP plant incorporates electrical power generation equipment, boilers, hot water reticulation, and cold water reticulation for Trigeneration plants. AIEglobal has provided PLC/SCADA based control systems for integration of the various CCHP plant components into a single turnkey process. We also provided Electrical Engineering services relating to HV/LV switchboard design, CAD electrical schematics, and commissioning.
Our largest project to date has been the 8 MW Trigeneration plant at the Melbourne Airport. We were pleased to be awarded with the Control Systems contract by TSF Engineering for this substantial project.