The Research Institute of Petroleum Industry signed a contract with Aran Energy Systems Company in Tehran Saturday for commercializing micro-CHP system parts, according to the Oil Ministry news website Shana.
Micro combined heat and power (micro-CHP) is a technology that generates heat and electricity simultaneously, from the same energy source, in individual homes or buildings. The main output of a micro-CHP system is heat, with some electricity generation, at a typical ratio of about 6:1 for domestic appliances.
Founded in 1959 in Tehran, the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry is a research and development arm of the Oil Ministry. It is a major research institute in Iran and is the largest of its kind in the Middle East. RIPI has become a major technology provider for Iran’s key petroleum industry.
RIPI is focused on creating added value via production and commercialization of technology, with the approach of carrying out research for the development of new technologies and indigenization of new technologies.
RIPI operates in three sectors of upstream and downstream petroleum industry, as well as energy and environment.
Aran Energy Systems Company is active in producing energy-friendly products and provides specialized services in the field of installation, technical training, repairs and maintenance.
The company has recently manufactured micro-CHP system parts.
A micro-CHP system usually contains a small fuel cell or a heat engine as a prime mover used to rotate a generator, which provides electric power, while simultaneously utilizing the waste heat from the prime mover for an individual building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Micro-CHP is an extension of the idea of cogeneration to the single/multi family home or small office building in the range of up to 50 kW.
Local generation has the potential for higher efficiency than traditional grid-level generators because it is spared of the 8-10% energy loss from transporting electricity over long distances.
In conventional power plants, mostly gas-fired, some energy is lost as waste heat, but in cogeneration, most of the thermal energy is put to efficient use.
Small-scale electricity generation is slowly replacing big fossil-fuel driven plants, which currently are the world’s single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
Cogeneration has risen dramatically in the past 15 years, but is often overlooked in estimates of energy production.
As part of efforts to boost electricity generation through cleaner energy, small-scale power plants can help protect the environment.
