Distributed CHP Growth
In the same time period Distributed Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems will reach 20 to 50% (from <1%). For green buildings, local power generation with waste heat recovery will also support cooling loads.
Natural Gas Resource Usage Efficiency
Natural Gas availability is actually increasing due to the development of oil shale projects. But the wasteful use of any limited natural resource will not be tolerated in our green future. CHP can dramatically increase natural gas usage efficiency - from the non-CHP ~33% to CHP 75%+. 
CHP will also lower NOx, SOx and Carbon emission rates per BTU of NG fuel - to values lower than a brand new merchant NG plant. CHP can also provide energy security while creating jobs. Due to cost, availability, security, emissions, and jobs, green projects will choose natural gas Distributed CHP. (Photo #1 is of 4 Capstone NG fueled microturbines recoverig waste heat as hot water flowing to Thermax Absorption Chillers. Photo#2 is a Power Partners Adsorption Chiller).
All of these waste heat driven adsorption/absorption chillers employ different phase change material to convert waste heat into refrigeration.
Micro Waste Heat Energy Future
Both combustion and solar thermal energy will have efficiency increases through recovery and utilization of waste heat. Waste heat recovery utilization for large scale energy production (such as merchant power plant utilities and chemical plant utilities, etc.) is well developed as steam combined cycle and similar combined heat and power systems.
• Small and Micro Distributed energy systems (solar, fuel cells, microturbines, etc) are increasing in application due to interests in on-site secure power, transmission loss elimination, and emissions reduction.
• Micro waste heat energy system waste heat recovery is in an infancy development stage. As a result new ‘table top’ sized technologies can result in dramatic improvement in energy and fuel utilization, emissions, and power security.
"A New Class of Nano-Scale Surface Chemistry Materials Are Just Around the Corner"
Will allow much more efficient waste heat energy conversion
1. New paradigms will soon occur involving Nano Technology will be the study of Surface Chemistry to target efficiency improved of adsorption chiller waste heat to refrigeration technology will result in dramatic waste heat to cold process efficiency improvements.
3. Other newtechnology will soon produce materials to convert low grade waste heat directly into electricity.
4. Computational and finite element mechanical studies will allow large performance steps of new energy transduction processes like thermo-acoustic wave transduction, allowing today's laboratory scale thermo-acoustic waste heat to refrigeration technologies to grow into commercial use.
Plug & Play CHP Still Requires Integrators
CHP component OEMs are doing a great job developing 'plug & play' packages. But that is only part of the information required for the implementation of a CHP system at a particular site. Distributed CHP requires a technical integrator - which is what ECO offers. ECO can work between a CHP Project Developer and multiple CHP component OEMs to provide development phase modeling, consulting, and space planning. If a CHP project advances from development to construction, ECO can administer*all required construction documentation (site planning, foundation designs, process diagrams, electrical diagrams, piping designs, emission and energy performance certifications, construction inspections, etc.) *For a Texas project we can also provide Structural, Civil, and MEP consulting.
Solar thermal energy is also sustainable energy. A solar thermal collector can provide heat energy that can drive a chiller to create chilled water for an HVAC system
Solar Powered Refrigeration
Solar HVAC, or Cooling from Heat, may seem to be thermodynamically impossible, but it is not. That is because a refrigeration cycle does not care where the required energy comes from.
That energy can come from a motor driven refrigerant compressor, or from solar created heat, or from recovered waste heat. The term Combined Cool Heat and Power (CCHP) adds refrigeration powered by recovered thermal energy or 'waste heat' to optimize fuel energy usage.
New heat driven refrigeration is taking different forms. One type is ice generation as a method of temporary energy storage. Another is a heat driven HVAC chiller system such as offered by Thermax, Power-Partners, and Sortech. Read more on this at
CHP News.
Engineering Integration for Electric Vehicle Energy Systems
Installed in a CHP mode adjacent to a green building, a self-contained Capstone microturbine based charging station for electric vehicles could also augment the building's requirements for electricity, heat, and cooling.
These compact 70 and 200 kW power generation units would provide grid-independent charging to overcome grid overloading should plug-in electrics become widely popular.
Such stations could provide 480 volt charging without the need for expensive step-up transformers and would also be functional for recharging in remote locations.
Capstone’s products not only can supply electrical energy without further stressing the local utility grid, but in most cases around the world these CARB certified microturbine products are much cleaner than the local utility.
If added to a 24X7 off-electric-grid natural gas fueled microturbine based charging station, a solar PV array awning designed for 110+mph would provide customer shade while providing extra daylight charging power.