THE CONFUSING ALLURE OF COMBINED HEAT AND POWER: THE FINANCIAL ATTRACTION AND MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE OF REDUCING ENERGY SPEND AND RESULTING CARBON EMISSIONS THROUGH ONSITE POWER GENERATION

摘要

Sixty-one percent of global executives surveyed by McKinsey & Co. (in 2008) expect the issues associated with climate change to boost profits-if managed well. What these executives recognize is that new regulations, higher energy costs, and increased scrutiny by private gate-keepers (such as Wal-Mart) offer an opportunity to identify and implement more efficient practices in commercial and industrial environments. One of the most impactful solutions for the industrial sector-from the perspective of reducing energy spending and energy-related carbon emissions-is combined heat and power ("CHP"), sometimes referred to as cogeneration. However, the results of CHP deployment to date have been mixed-largely because companies do not fully appreciate the challenges of maintaining and operating a CHP system, optimizing its performance, and taking full advantage of the many benefits it offers. Despite these challenges, the slogan for CHP should perhaps be: "CHP, now more than ever".