The Cogeneration in service hotel complexes. A case study

The growing worldwide demand for less polluting forms of energy has led to a renewed interest in the use of micro combined heat and power (CHP) technologies for residential and commercial sectors. Micro-CHP have the ability to produce both useful thermal energy and electricity from a single source of fuel such as oil or natural gas. In this kind of systems, the energy conversion efficiency reach very high values compared to conventional ones. The purpose of CHP systems is to perform the simultaneous production of heat and electricity in a single small energy conversion unit. The heat produced may be used for space and water heating, and possibly for cooling load if combined with an absorption chiller, the electricity is used within the building. The aim of this study is to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of a cogeneration plant, fueled by natural gas, for an hotel located in northern Italy, in order to reduce the energy demand with a consequent reduction of costs and of greenhouse gas emissions. Starting from the description of the energy demand, were analyzed the design choices, in terms of energy production and distribution, and the economic and financial evaluations related to the cogeneration system. The study was limited exclusively to energy assessments and were not treated plant configurations that will be reserved for a later stage of final design.