What Is Cogeneration?
About 84% of Australia's electricity is generated by coal power stations and transmitted and distributed by infrastructure that is collectively about 30% energy efficient due to heat and transmission losses.
Cogeneration is the onsite and simultaneous generation and use of electricity and thermal energy and thus uses fuel far more efficiently than conventional coal power stations. Cogeneration plants can generate energy at efficiencies of up to 80%.
Absorption chilling is a technology that uses heat energy to operate a chiller (cooling) system and can easily be coupled to use the waste heat from a cogeneration plant. With careful planning, cogeneration and absorption chilling plants can be engineered to provide most of the building's electrical, heating and cooling load all year round.
Cogent Energy cogeneration plants use natural gas which is readily available in capital cities. Recent discoveries of large reserves of natural gas in most states mean that there is a long term and stable supply. Cogeneration plants using natural gas can emit up to 50% less greenhouse gases than a large coal power station for equivalent energy generated.