Combined heat and power

Combined heat and power is the simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat from one energy source, typically by capturing heat that conventional power generation would waste.

Cogeneration: The simultaneous generation of electricity or mechanical power and useful heat from a shared energy source. This near-synonym names the same integrated production approach.
District heating: A system that distributes heat from a central source to multiple buildings through a network. A district network can use CHP heat that would otherwise be rejected.
Separate heat and power: The production of electricity and heat in separate systems, such as a power plant and boiler. This is the main baseline against which CHP fuel use and emissions are assessed.
Energy efficiency: The ratio of useful energy services obtained to energy supplied. CHP can improve overall fuel utilization when its heat output is genuinely useful.
Combined cycle power plant: A power plant that generates electricity through both a gas turbine and a steam turbine. It raises electrical efficiency by reusing heat, but need not deliver useful heat to an external customer.
Industrial process heating: The application of heat to transform materials or support manufacturing processes. Factories with steady heat demand can use CHP output alongside electricity.
Condensing power plant: A thermal power plant that converts steam energy into electricity and rejects condenser heat to the environment. Unlike CHP, it prioritizes electricity and discards most low-grade heat.
Carbon intensity: The greenhouse-gas emissions associated with a unit of energy or economic output. CHP emissions depend on its fuel and on what separate supplies it displaces.
Heat recovery steam generator: A heat exchanger that uses hot exhaust to produce steam, often for a steam turbine or process use. It can recover turbine exhaust heat for the steam and heat outputs of a CHP system.
Micro combined heat and power: Small-scale combined heat and power designed to supply individual homes or small buildings. It applies CHP at building scale, often using engines or fuel cells.

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