Fuel Type

Cogeneration applications can run on a variety of fuels, all of which offer unique environmental benefits.

The benefits of natural gas are its high heating value, low cost, ease of transportation and supply. Natural gas emits 40-50 per cent less CO2 than coal to produce the same amount of energy, making it particularly suited to Cogeneration systems.

Whilst the power produced by a Cogeneration system is more energy efficient than traditional centralised generation, it is not technically classed as a source of renewable energy unless it is fuelled by biogas.

Biogas produces no net carbon emissions. Biogas fuelled Cogeneration also benefits from legal frameworks that offer financial incentives to users, such as the renewable obligation and the allocation of renewable energy certificates (RECs) RECs significantly increase the value of the electricity produced while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Urban Energy has the technology to convert natural gas fuelled engines to run on biogas. Applications are typically found at wastewater treatment sites that use sludge digesters (anaerobic process) to produce biogas. Heat from the Cogeneration system is then put back into the digester, further increasing the system’s efficiency.

As well as wastewater treatment sites using anaerobic digesters, there are many other applications. Where ever organic material can be broken down in a controlled environment, biogas is produced. Some examples are food, sugar, paper-pulp and landfill gas.

Often there is the potential for a Cogeneration scheme but the site has no access to mains gas, especially in remote places. Here Urban Energy can convert a natural gas fuelled engine to run on liquid petroleum gas (LPG).