As the population increases worldwide, and with it the creation of more jobs and the need for more technology to be implemented in places that are currently using outdated practices, the need for an efficient, eco-friendly source of energy is ever apparent. However, with such rapid growth comes utilities and electricity that are unstable. In order to paint a better picture, let’s take a look at how this rapid growth effects electricity.
Companies, businesses, and residential areas all need to be able to be supplied with electricity to operate. Power plants must be able to reach these buildings and homes in order to do so. While power plants are able to increase the power produced at their facility, to a point, they are unable to increase the ability of the power to travel efficiently and effectively. Because of this fact, power plants will always lose some of the power they are creating due to travel, also known as transmission loss. Unless you want to “park” your business or home next to an unsightly power plant you will never receive the most efficient energy like you would if you produce your own electricity on-site with a Highland West Energy CHP system.
Now some people may argue that rather than using power plants to create electricity, we need to convert to using solar and/or wind power for on-site energy production and while this is an eco-friendly source of energy, in the long term it’s just not as efficient as CHP. Especially, in order to keep up with the growing demand for electricity. Something that both residential and commercial areas may want to look into in the future, is creating systems that effectively utilize all three types of eco-friendly energy production; wind power, solar power, and CHP.
Current numbers for CHP, hold that the overall power efficiency created for the building in which they are being utilized for can be as high as 85%, with virtually no transmission loss! CHP proves that it is the optimal choice for a better efficient source of energy, as traditional power plants can only offer up to 40% efficiency.
Measuring CHP Efficiency
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a way to calculate the efficiency of CHP using the two most common measures, total system efficiency and effective electric efficiency. In addition to the mathematical formulas provided by the EPA, Highland West Energy offers free Savings Assessments, in order for potential clients to get an idea of how much energy they would be able to create with their new CHP system and at what cost.
- Total System Efficiency – The measure used to compare the CHP system’s efficiency with that of conventional methods (grid-supplied electricity). This measurement would be used by those looking to compare the efficiency of the CHP System to the efficiency of a conventional site’s energy.
- Effective Electric Efficiency – This form of measurement is used to compare electricity generated by power plants to the electricity generated by a CHP System. If the objective is to compare CHP energy production to the widely used conventional energy production, this is the measurement you would use to calculate that information.
In order to get precise measurements, contact Highland West Energy to get information regarding the superior Highland West Energy CHP systems we use and which of these packages would be best suited for your project.