Heat recovery and co-generation

Co-generation is a technical solution which combines the production of electricity with the use of thermal energy for heating systems.
The efficiency of thermal power plants can be increased by a large extend due to the use heat produced as 'waste' during the process of generating electrical energy. Another advantage of this technique is, that it is not related to the size and the fuel which is used in the plant. So decentralized facilities for small communities and industrial sites can be easily installed.

There exist different possibilities of co-generation, concerning techniques, installation and fuel. Beside the more technical part, the economic side of co-generation has to be discussed:
=> Technical facilities for co-generation: gas-engines - steam-turbine - fuel-cell
=> Plant design: decentralised solutions - thermal-power plants - what kind of facility for which site
=> Economic view on co-generation: energy savings - installation costs