Using cogeneration to produce hot water for heating systems is widespread in all of Europe. Since the demand for heating varies according to the seasons, a cogeneration systems would not be profitable if heat generated by the cogeneration modules were not used in the summer.In summer, what really needed is cold water for air conditioning, and this is usually obtained by means of high power-consuming refrigerating compressors.
An effective alternative presently consists in using absorption machines (chillers) which are fed with hot water from the cogeneration modules and provide cold water without any draw on electric energy.This makes it possible to get a uniform curve of the cogeneration receiving facilities’ heat energy demand and to reduce the electricity bill at the same time. The system is successfully used in air conditioning plants for the tertiary sector as well as in important industrial applications, such as the food chemical annd other industries.
