Stirling External Combustion Engine (ECE) The Stirling was invented in 1816 and has been in worldwide use for specialty applications such as cryogenic coolers and submarine power plants. The internal combustion engine (ICE) has dominated the prime mover market for a variety of technical and historical reasons. Kyoto, as an expression of a worldwide shift in priorities, now favours the Stirling and distributed generation (DG) for numerous applications. The micro combined heat and power (mCHP) concept (generating electricity, hot water and space heating for a house) clearly favours the Stirling over ICE, small turbines and fuel cells. The Stirling engine operates at lower temperature, pressure and revolutions without explosive combustion, which makes the Stirling inherently lower in noise, vibration, manufacturing, installation and maintenance costs. The Stirling is an external combustion engine (ECE) that uses a simple ambient pressure combustor, similar to a furnace or hot water heater, to provide a constant source of heat. This heat is transferred to a gas that expands and moves a piston, thereby doing work. Once the gas has done its work, it is passed through a heat exchanger called a regenerator where whatever heat is still useable is recaptured to preheat the incoming gas. The gas is cycled back and forth and never leaves the engine.
Analysis of micro CHP markets suggests that the UK is the most viable in Europe, due to the number of existing boiler systems, access to gas networks, and housing stock that has limited potential for further energy efficiency improvement. As the technology introduces new opportunities for energy efficiency and competition in energy trading, it also meets many of the key government objectives. Micro CHP effectively increases the diversity of generation without increasing gas consumption and has no ssues concerning planning consent, network infrastructure, etc.
According to latest predictions, early adoption of domestic combined heat and power (CHP) by utilities and manufacturers could easily lead to sales and service contracts worth over £1.5bn per annum (€2.2bn) across Europe by 2010.
The greatest area for profitability is in replacement of domestic boilers and installations in new build projects. Micro CHP not only addresses the energy efficiency goals of consumers and governments, but the possibility to develop a brand new kind of business model selling heat and power (CHP) instead of gas and electricity.
CHP (combined heat and power) is a very efficient technology for generating electricity and heat simultaneously, by using conventional generation technologies, fuel cells or ‘stirling’ engines within a CHP ‘plant’. The heat generated in the process is utilised via heat recovery equipment for a variety of purposes including: industrial processes, community heating and space heating.Domestic or micro CHP systems can be installed in place of standard domestic boilers. A domestic CHP system not only provides heat for the home, but also a proportion of the electricity in the same process. Domestic systems have the potential to be as much as 90% energy efficient, reducing the energy bill for the home and reducing carbon dioxide emissions per household, helping the government toward achieving the targeted reductions under the Kyoto agreement. Excess electricity produced when heating the home in the morning has the potential to be fed back into the grid.
www.Microchp.co.uk was founded on 11th April 2002 By Gordon Foat, who is a member of the Distributed Generation Coordinating Group (DGCG).
For Micro Chp Trial information see Alan Montague Limited Projects or get in touch to discuss how you can have a micro chp system installed in your home on 0044 1483 763375 or