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Groundbreaking micro-CHP (combined heat & power) technology is available for the first time in the UK following a new Anglo-Japanese agreement.
Greater Manchester-based sustainable power business ENER-G Combined Power Limited (www.energ.co.uk) has entered into a technology partnership with Japanese manufacturer Yanmar that will enable whole new sectors to harness low-carbon technology.
Commenting on the partnership, ENER-G sales manager Anthony Mayall said: “The Micro CHP range expands our capability from 4kWe to 10MWe, which is unique to the market place and means we can extend beyond our previous lower limit of 35kWe and help organisations with smaller buildings with their energy efficiency. This product range means ENER-G comfortably has the broadest product range on the market.”
The micro-CHP systems, available in a range of sizes from 4kWe to 25kWe, are more than twice as efficient as conventional power generating technology. A 25kWe unit would typically save up to 66 tonnes of carbon annually – equating to the carbon absorbing benefit of approximately 6,600 trees.
Another major benefit of micro CHP technology is that it can enable users to qualify for the government’s new feed-in tariff scheme – also known as the Clean Energy Cash-back Scheme – which pays financial rewards to consumers who generate on-site electricity from sustainable sources.
The micro-CHP market in the UK is almost completely undeveloped and ENER-G’s partnership with Yanmar heralds enormous potential for carbon reductions and cost savings across fresh areas of the commercial, industrial and public sectors.
The technology is ideal for modestly-sized buildings that need to use electricity and heat for long periods, such as care homes, smaller medical centres, fast food restaurants, and compact supermarkets.
Micro-CHP technology has been enthusiastically endorsed by the Carbon Trust. Their Micro CHP Accelerator Interim Report includes details of field trials that show typical carbon reductions of 15-20% in small commercial applications. Furthermore it is suggested that a unit with a power to heat ratio like that of the Yanmar IC engine could yield carbon savings of 30%.
CHP is the simultaneous generation of electricity and useful heat. It reduces greenhouse emissions drastically by capturing the heat output that is wasted in conventional power generation. It also avoids transmission losses because the energy is generated locally.
Yanmar micro CHP systems can be located in limited, external spaces – similar to those required by air conditioning units. Their low operating noise reduces disturbance to neighbours and reduces potential planning issues. An extra benefit is 10,000-hour service intervals (approximately two years), which translates into lower running costs. Meanwhile, remote monitoring by ENER-G engineers ensures that systems run at optimum performance to maximise uptime
Anthony Mayall continued: “Yanmar is a world-class manufacturer whose micro-CHP technology is tried and tested, with over 4300 units supplied across the globe. The company chose ENER-G as its commercial partner because we, too, have a long history in CHP, extensive in-house technical experience, an established service network and our own product range, with over 1,200 CHP units installed to date.
“Engine based Micro-CHP is generally more suitable than competing technologies, such as micro turbines, that have a lower power to heat ratio. This is because power is the higher value utility and will become even more valuable when the feed-in tariff is operating”.
He added: “UK-based testing of the micro CHP equipment has proved very encouraging. We have had a unit running continually for 10 months in our test centre which is stopped and started each day to test reliability. The unit equipment is all self-contained, hence we found installation and commissioning very straightforward. In addition, the system is externally mounted to test it against the elements”.
ENER-G helped pioneer CHP technology back in the early 1980s. Since then, the company has used its advanced technologies to help organisations across the world to reduce their carbon emissions by millions of tonnes.
For more information contact:
Zita Pálosi, Marketing Services Manager
ENER-G
ENER-G House, Daniel Adamson Road, Salford MANCHESTER M50 1DT
T: +44 (0)161 745 7450 F: +44 (0)161 745 7457 E: marketing@energ.co.uk W: www.energ.co.uk
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