Is There a Future for Small-Scale Cogeneration in Europe? Economic and Policy Analysis of the Internal Combustion Engine, Micro Gas Turbine and Micro Humid Air Turbine Cycles
If more widely deployed, small-scale cogeneration could increase energy efficiency in Europe. Of the two main commercially available technologies—the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and the micro Gas Turbine (mGT)—the ICE dominates the market due to its higher electrical efficie...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/3/413 |
| _version_ | 1811187780689068032 |
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| author | Marina Montero Carrero Irene Rodríguez Sánchez Ward De Paepe Alessandro Parente Francesco Contino |
| author_facet | Marina Montero Carrero Irene Rodríguez Sánchez Ward De Paepe Alessandro Parente Francesco Contino |
| author_sort | Marina Montero Carrero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | If more widely deployed, small-scale cogeneration could increase energy efficiency in Europe. Of the two main commercially available technologies—the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and the micro Gas Turbine (mGT)—the ICE dominates the market due to its higher electrical efficiency. However, by transforming the mGT into a micro Humid Air Turbine (mHAT), the electrical efficiency of this cycle can increase, thus enhancing its operational flexibility. This paper presents an in-depth policy and economic assessment of the the ICE, mGT and mHAT technologies for dwellings based in Spain, France and Belgium. The hourly demands of average households, the market conditions and the subsidies applicable in each region are considered. The aim is twofold: to evaluate the profitability of the technologies and to assess the cogeneration policies in place. The results show that only the ICE in Brussels is economically viable, despite all units providing positive energy savings in all locations (except mHAT in Spain). Of the three different green certificate schemes offered in Belgium, Brussels is the one leading to the best outcome. Spain awards both capital and operational helps, although auto-consumption is not valued. The same applies to the complex French feed-in tariff. Conclusively, with the current policies, investing in small-scale cogeneration is in general not attractive and its potential efficiency gains remain unveiled. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T14:08:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a0604e99063445db9d8450159c4291d4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T14:08:20Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-a0604e99063445db9d8450159c4291d42022-12-22T04:19:48ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732019-01-0112341310.3390/en12030413en12030413Is There a Future for Small-Scale Cogeneration in Europe? Economic and Policy Analysis of the Internal Combustion Engine, Micro Gas Turbine and Micro Humid Air Turbine CyclesMarina Montero Carrero0Irene Rodríguez Sánchez1Ward De Paepe2Alessandro Parente3Francesco Contino4Thermo and Fluid Dynamics (FLOW), Faculty of Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), 1050 Brussels, BelgiumAero-Thermo-Mechanical (ATM) Department, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1050 Brussels, BelgiumThermal Engineering and Combustion Unit, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, BelgiumAero-Thermo-Mechanical (ATM) Department, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1050 Brussels, BelgiumThermo and Fluid Dynamics (FLOW), Faculty of Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), 1050 Brussels, BelgiumIf more widely deployed, small-scale cogeneration could increase energy efficiency in Europe. Of the two main commercially available technologies—the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and the micro Gas Turbine (mGT)—the ICE dominates the market due to its higher electrical efficiency. However, by transforming the mGT into a micro Humid Air Turbine (mHAT), the electrical efficiency of this cycle can increase, thus enhancing its operational flexibility. This paper presents an in-depth policy and economic assessment of the the ICE, mGT and mHAT technologies for dwellings based in Spain, France and Belgium. The hourly demands of average households, the market conditions and the subsidies applicable in each region are considered. The aim is twofold: to evaluate the profitability of the technologies and to assess the cogeneration policies in place. The results show that only the ICE in Brussels is economically viable, despite all units providing positive energy savings in all locations (except mHAT in Spain). Of the three different green certificate schemes offered in Belgium, Brussels is the one leading to the best outcome. Spain awards both capital and operational helps, although auto-consumption is not valued. The same applies to the complex French feed-in tariff. Conclusively, with the current policies, investing in small-scale cogeneration is in general not attractive and its potential efficiency gains remain unveiled.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/3/413economic analysispolicy analysiscogenerationmicro Gas Turbineinternal combustion engine |
| spellingShingle | Marina Montero Carrero Irene Rodríguez Sánchez Ward De Paepe Alessandro Parente Francesco Contino Is There a Future for Small-Scale Cogeneration in Europe? Economic and Policy Analysis of the Internal Combustion Engine, Micro Gas Turbine and Micro Humid Air Turbine Cycles Energies economic analysis policy analysis cogeneration micro Gas Turbine internal combustion engine |
| title | Is There a Future for Small-Scale Cogeneration in Europe? Economic and Policy Analysis of the Internal Combustion Engine, Micro Gas Turbine and Micro Humid Air Turbine Cycles |
| title_full | Is There a Future for Small-Scale Cogeneration in Europe? Economic and Policy Analysis of the Internal Combustion Engine, Micro Gas Turbine and Micro Humid Air Turbine Cycles |
| title_fullStr | Is There a Future for Small-Scale Cogeneration in Europe? Economic and Policy Analysis of the Internal Combustion Engine, Micro Gas Turbine and Micro Humid Air Turbine Cycles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is There a Future for Small-Scale Cogeneration in Europe? Economic and Policy Analysis of the Internal Combustion Engine, Micro Gas Turbine and Micro Humid Air Turbine Cycles |
| title_short | Is There a Future for Small-Scale Cogeneration in Europe? Economic and Policy Analysis of the Internal Combustion Engine, Micro Gas Turbine and Micro Humid Air Turbine Cycles |
| title_sort | is there a future for small scale cogeneration in europe economic and policy analysis of the internal combustion engine micro gas turbine and micro humid air turbine cycles |
| topic | economic analysis policy analysis cogeneration micro Gas Turbine internal combustion engine |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/3/413 |
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