A Study of a Diesel Engine Based Micro-CHP System

An analytical study of residential-scale micro-cogeneration systems used hourly electric and thermal loads for a residential building in two New York State locations to quantify the energy savings to be expected relative to a conventional system using heat produced on site and electricity purchased from a utility. Possible ways to improve the impact of micro-cogeneration systems on the electric utility to which they are connected were explored. The principal barrier to widespread application of these systems was identified as the lack of a suitable prime mover having an electric output capacity in the 0.5 to 5 kW range.