Hello,
A few years ago, I came across a brochure for a mini combined heat and power (CHP) unit. It showed a 19-inch rack (about 2 meters (6.6 feet) high) containing, if I recall correctly, a small FIAT engine designed to run at around 1500 rpm to reduce wear, and it was set up to operate on gas. It powered a domestic hot water heat pump (DHW HP) as well as an electric generator.
The waste heat from the engine was fed into the heating circuit in addition to the output from the heat pump. Naturally, the system requires a sufficiently large hot water storage tank to achieve a low cycling frequency.
It all sounds interesting and practical, but I have never heard or read anything about it since.
Did this ever go beyond the prototype stage?
Does anyone have any experience with this device?
A few years ago, I came across a brochure for a mini combined heat and power (CHP) unit. It showed a 19-inch rack (about 2 meters (6.6 feet) high) containing, if I recall correctly, a small FIAT engine designed to run at around 1500 rpm to reduce wear, and it was set up to operate on gas. It powered a domestic hot water heat pump (DHW HP) as well as an electric generator.
The waste heat from the engine was fed into the heating circuit in addition to the output from the heat pump. Naturally, the system requires a sufficiently large hot water storage tank to achieve a low cycling frequency.
It all sounds interesting and practical, but I have never heard or read anything about it since.
Did this ever go beyond the prototype stage?
Does anyone have any experience with this device?
There are also larger-scale combined heat and power (CHP) plants. Usually, the heat production is too high. It depends on the house.
We have also looked into this topic. Since we have a pool, we would have needed a larger CHP unit for heating. Most of the electricity would have to be sold.
VW engines are often used. They are louder than, for example, a gas boiler.
A combination of a gas boiler plus a fuel cell is more interesting for a single-family house. It is also heavily subsidized.
We have also looked into this topic. Since we have a pool, we would have needed a larger CHP unit for heating. Most of the electricity would have to be sold.
VW engines are often used. They are louder than, for example, a gas boiler.
A combination of a gas boiler plus a fuel cell is more interesting for a single-family house. It is also heavily subsidized.
Combined heat and power units, cogeneration, and similar systems are mainly suitable for high heat demand, as @rick2018 already mentioned. Typically, they operate based on heat demand. If you don’t have a pool or a commercial building to heat, it usually doesn’t make sense. Supplying heat to neighbors is legally complicated. These systems are also noisy, so a separate machine room (a well soundproofed basement) or building is mandatory.
Back when vegetable oil cost around 40 cents per liter (approximately 40 cents per liter), this was more common, and especially combined heat and power units running on used vegetable oil were even subsidized by the government. I think VW even offered these as a complete package at some point. However, the oil lobby contributed to their decline. Additionally, these units require quite a bit of maintenance, and unless you have a background in mechanical engineering, it’s better to stay away from them.
Back when vegetable oil cost around 40 cents per liter (approximately 40 cents per liter), this was more common, and especially combined heat and power units running on used vegetable oil were even subsidized by the government. I think VW even offered these as a complete package at some point. However, the oil lobby contributed to their decline. Additionally, these units require quite a bit of maintenance, and unless you have a background in mechanical engineering, it’s better to stay away from them.
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