Combined heat and power: Overview
One fuel, two products: electricity and the heat it leaves
What this tile covers Making electricity and useful heat (and cooling) from the same fuel. Share of use 2.5% share of final energy use supplied (2019)Share of world final energy use (about 435 EJ, the same denominator as Conversion and use) supplied by recovered or reused energy, where a global figure exists; most methods have no global total and are left null Useful heat from CHP plants estimated at about 10.9 EJ in 2019: heat, solar thermal and geothermal reached about 15.0 EJ of final energy (3.6% of 418 EJ) less 4.1 EJ from heat-only plants (calculated, upper side since solar and geothermal are included; on-site industrial CHP heat for own use is not counted). Divided by world final energy use of about 435 EJ, about 2.52% (calculated). Overlaps waste-to-energy and bio-cogeneration plants that sell heat. Source: Key World Energy Statistics 2021, International Energy Agency.
Key facts
| Heat grade | All grades |
Included from the reference tables
- CHP / cogeneration
- Trigeneration (CCHP)
- Absorption and adsorption chillers
- Micro-CHP
Also in Heat to power and cogeneration
WHR Waste-heat power (steam Rankine)ORC Organic Rankine, Kalina and sCO2 cyclesTrb Engine exhaust recoveryBag Bagasse and black-liquor cogenerationCDQ Steel plant energy recoveryExplore paths from here
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