Capstone Microturbine: Opening Up Cogeneration Opportunities

Looking a bit like an oversized computer tower, the Model 330 Capstone MicroTurbine™ is paving the way for cost-effective cogeneration in commercial and industrial buildings. While state-of-the-art power plants can achieve a conversion rate for source energy to electricity as high as 55%, most power plants achieve net efficiencies of only 30–35%. Cogeneration—also referred to as

combined heat and power or CHP—can dramatically boost the overall efficiency of energy production from fossil fuels by using the otherwise-wasted thermal energy. Until recently, cogeneration has been greatly restricted because the places we can use waste heat (buildings and industrial facilities) are usually quite far removed from where it is generated (at the power plant).