CHP Design Guide: Our step by step guide to deploying CHP

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is a highly efficient onsite generation solution. Requiring a single or blended fuel to operate, it can provide you with heat and electricity (as well as steam or chilled water through trigeneration) at your site. And with cost savings of up to 40% possible, it can bring significant financial benefits to your organisation.

With this in mind, now could be the right time to invest in a CHP system. But do you know the next steps you’ll need to take to achieve this?

Our new CHP Design Guide explores the process of designing and deploying a CHP system. Read on to find out how your business could turn an initial idea into fully operational CHP.

How to integrate CHP into your existing energy estate

Firstly, you’ll need to establish whether CHP is right for you. It’s uncommon to export the electricity generated from a CHP system, so you’ll need to use most – or all – of the power output it provides. If you’re not sure what your current consumption is, we can help you to ascertain this. You’ll also need a suitable location for installation, close to utilities like gas mains and electrical connections.

Finally, we can help you to integrate CHP alongside your existing energy technology. Whether you have Heat Pumps, chillers, or other equipment already in place, we can integrate CHP into your current approach.

How to fuel your hydrogen-ready CHP system

No matter your organisation’s needs, there are several options available to fuel your CHP system.

We offer hydrogen-ready CHP, capable of running on up to 100% hydrogen blend fuel. As our units have dual gas trains, you could blend this with other fuels like natural gas, giving you the flexibility you need to power your organisation. You could choose natural gas today, and switch to hydrogen tomorrow – without the need to replace your CHP system.

Our units can also run on LPG and biogas – so if you use or would like to switch to these fuels, we can still help you to make long term savings with CHP.

How to size your CHP system for your needs

Once you know that CHP is right for you, we can help you to decide exactly what your system will look like.

Based on half-hourly readings of your electricity and heating consumption, we’ll build an energy profile and heat-to-power ratio. From here, we’ll recommend a design that works for your site and future plans.

We’ll also explore all relevant permissions for you, taking care of planning permission and other consent requirements.

How to secure flexible financing for your CHP system

At this stage, you’ll know roughly what your CHP system will look like. We’ll also have provided you with an estimated quote – so you can start planning how you’d like to fund your project.

We provide a range of flexible financing options, giving you the flexibility to invest in CHP without needing to provide upfront CAPEX. These include:

• Discount Energy Purchase Plus (DEP+) –you pay an agreed p/kWh rate for the 7-15 year length of your contract
• Flexible Term Agreement (FTA) – we’ll help you to move or return it every 3-5 years, based on the needs of your business
• Optional Ownership Agreement (OOA) – reduce your DEP+ rate of payment from day one or every three years, based on CAPEX investment

How to optimise your CHP system’s performance

Taking care of your CHP throughout its lifetime is paramount to its performance. With good Operations & Maintenance (O&M), you’ll be able to rest assured that your system is performing at its best – and that operational issues can be flagged before they turn into catastrophic downtime.

Hand-in-hand with good O&M is consistent monitoring of your asset. With solutions like PowerRadar™, you can track key system parameters to ensure that your CHP system is running at its best. And, with visualisation of your energy estate, you could make even further adjustments to your strategy – helping you to save on costs and carbon.

Ready to turn your CHP strategy into action?

If you’re interested in exploring how your organisation could deploy CHP, our Design Guide could help you to take the first steps towards generating your own heat and power.

We have over 35 years of experience in designing, installing, financing and maintaining CHP systems, and have installed over 700MW of CHP worldwide. Our team are experts in supporting organisations to make the most of the opportunities presented by onsite generation, and can help you to outline your next steps.

For more information on turning your CHP plans into reality, complete our simple form to download our CHP Design Guide, or contact us today.