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Viewing report
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Clever Chilling: Packaged Combined Cooling and Power
E SOURCE, Aug 2004, Pages: 33
Combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP)—a technique that uses the exhaust heat from distributed generation (DG) prime movers to run an absorption chiller, a steam turbine chiller, or a desiccant dehumidifier—is a compelling idea with the potential to greatly advance DG markets worldwide. And on the other side of the coin, DG may help several heat-driven cooling technologies advance in the HVAC market as well. For utilities and end users, CCHP systems offer the potential to reduce electricity demand during demand and price peaks.
The idea is not a new one; there are many such systems installed—primarily at large industrial and institutional facilities. Other projects have been set up at smaller commercial sites and have yielded promising results and positive feedback from participants. But these systems, by and large, have been custom-designed and custom-engineered for each particular site—typically at high cost and effort. To gain a significant market in the small commercial, large commercial, and small-to-midsize industrial sectors, DG systems and chillers will need to be integrated into a pre-engineered system in the factory using standard, modular equipment that is designed to work together optimally. A few companies—such as UTC Power and Toyota—have just recently begun selling integrated systems commercially.
Companies like UTC, which have expertise in both DG and chiller technologies, are in a good position to develop and sell these integrated systems. Other manufacturers are stuck in a chicken-and-egg dilemma. North American chiller manufacturers are somewhat reluctant to develop a line of chillers for CCHP applications until they see that the DG market is clearly taking off. And DG manufacturers by themselves cant make this market advance without chillers designed to work optimally with their products. The answer may lie with global chiller and DG manufacturers, which are really starting to chase CCHP as a viable opportunity.
New developments with packaged combined cooling, heating, and power systems are likely to open up new markets for distributed generation. We examine these developments, look at possible applications, and assess prospects for such systems.
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