Net Energy Analysis of a Cogeneration-District Heating System and Two Conventional Alternatives

摘要

As part of a series of studies on the institutional and technical aspects of cogeneration and district heating, a net energy analysis was performed on three systems for providing space heating, space cooling, domestic hot water, and domestic electricity for an idealized community located in a climate similar to that of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The three systems are an all-electric system, an electric and natural gas system, and a cogeneration-district heating system. The capital and operating energy costs were determined and a life-cycle energy-cost analysis was performed. Results of the life-cycle energy-cost analysis show that the cogeneration-district heating system consumes about half as much primary energy as the all-electric system and four-fifths as much primary energy as the electric and natural gas system. (ERA citation 04:046797)