High-Efficiency Cogeneration Systems: The Case of the Paper Industry in Italy

Marco Gambini, Michela Vellini, Tommaso Stilo, Michele Manno and Sara Bellocchi
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Marco Gambini: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Michela Vellini: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Tommaso Stilo: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Michele Manno: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Sara Bellocchi: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-21

Abstract: In January 2011, the introduction of high-efficiency cogeneration in Europe radically modified the incentive scheme for combined heat and power (CHP) plants. Since then, the techno-economic feasibility of new cogeneration plants in different areas of application (industry, service, residential, etc.), along with the definition of their optimal operation, have inevitably undergone a radical change. In particular, with reference to the Italian case and according to the most recent ministerial guidelines following the new EU regulation, in the event that cogeneration power plants do not reach an established value in terms of overall efficiency, their operation has to be split into a CHP and a non-CHP portion with incentives proportional to the energy quantities pertaining to the CHP portion only. In the framework of high-efficiency cogeneration, the present study compares different CHP solutions to be coupled with the paper industry that, among all the industrial processes, appears to be the best suited for cogeneration applications. With reference to this particular industrial reality, energy, environmental, and economic performance parameters have been defined, analysed, and compared with the help of GateCycle software. Among the proposed CHP alternatives, results show that gas turbines are the most appropriate technology for paper industry processes.

Keywords: high-efficiency cogeneration; primary energy saving; electricity from cogeneration; paper industry; GateCycle; CO 2 emissions avoided (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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