Combined Heat and Power – Strategy and Practice

Dear Colleagues,

This issue addresses the topic of Combined Heat and Power, which is an important contributor to energy efficiency and hence to mitigating global warming. For most European countries there is a close energy match between the low grade heat discharged to atmosphere by their thermal electricity power industry and that required for heating their buildings. Thus whilst building insulation and design can help close the gap, the fact remains that most of these countries use CHP and district heating from power stations and incinerators fuelled by non-recyclable waste to achieve efficient use of energy and reduce their total carbon dioxide emissions. For example, Vienna is an ancient city that heats 300,000 flats in a system fed by 5 local power stations and 4 incinerators; whilst two thirds of all buildings in Denmark are connected to a district heating system and one pipe main extends 100 km westwards from Copenhagen to connect several power stations. Similarly, 92% of all buildings in Helsinki are connected to a district heating system and more than 92% of this heat is derived from CHP units. A current priority for low grade heat technology in many developing countries is to dramatically increase the installation of CHP into their towns and cities. However, work is often required to overcome the technical, social and economic barriers that have evolved from their historic energy situation. Case studies, reviews and research papers on these and related topics are invited.

Prof. Dr. Joshua Swithenbank
Guest Editor