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Small scale cogeneration in Croatian public buildings

Integration of high shares of intermittent renewable energy sources imposed certain challenges to the power system. The key issue is to maintain stability of power system, i.e. to maintain equilibrium in power generation and consumption. In that sense, significant efforts are put to resolve addressed challenge and to obey EU policy in the same time. Cogeneration is technology which generates electric and thermal energy at the same time. In the recent years cogeneration technology advanced and even small scale applications are economic and technically justifiable. Hence, small scale applications become interesting in the context of providing flexibility, i.e. ancillary services to power system operator. Integration of growing share of intermittent renewable energy sources imposes certain technical challenges to the power system. The key issue is to maintain stability of power system, i.e. to maintain the equilibrium in power generation and consumption. In that sense, significant efforts are employed to resolve these technical challenges and at the same time follow EU energy policies. Cogeneration is technology which simultaneously generates electric and useful thermal energy. In recent years cogeneration technology advanced significantly and even small scale applications are economically and technically justifiable. Hence, small scale applications became an interesting option in the context of providing flexibility, i.e. ancillary services to power system operator. The goal of our research is to determine the potential for small scale cogeneration (up to one megawatt of installed electric capacity) in the public buildings in Croatia. Public buildings represent significant consumer of thermal as well as electric energy. Average consumption of final energy in public building sector in Croatia amounts to approx. 860 GWh. Within our research we developed a methodology to assess the potential for small scale cogenerations. Our results show that 220 GWh of final thermal energy can be satisfied by small scale cogenerations, which requires 67 MW of total installed thermal capacity from cogeneration. We analysed two types of cogeneration technologies– cogeneration based on gas engine propelled by natural gas and cogeneration based on steam turbine propelled by biomass. Moreover, the potential was determined separately for continental and coastal part of Croatia, due to significant differences in heat consumption. Apart from assessment of potential, a cost benefit analysis was carried out to explore economic viability of potential utilisation. The cost benefit analysis results show that small scale cogenerations are not always economically justified, decreasing the realistic potential of cogeneration. Economic viability of these projects predominately depends on factors such as the type of public building, location and type of cogeneration technology.

Renewable energy sources, Cogeneration, Cost benefit analysis, Public buildings, Croatia

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