Heizkraftwerke

Heizkraftwerke, in English commonly called heat and power plants or cogeneration plants, are energy facilities designed to produce electricity and usable heat in a single process. They rely on Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung (KWK), which captures heat that would otherwise be wasted in electricity generation to supply district heating networks or industrial processes. The goal is to increase overall energy efficiency and reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Most Heizkraftwerke are central plants that run on natural gas, coal, biomass, or waste, and may power large districts or industrial sites. They use technologies such as gas turbines with heat recovery steam generators, steam turbines, or reciprocating engines. Heat rejects from electricity production is recovered and distributed as hot water or steam through district heating networks. Smaller installations, known as Blockheizkraftwerke (BHKW), operate within buildings or neighborhoods to provide both heat and electricity on a local scale.

Efficiency and environmental impact: By utilizing both electricity and heat, CHP systems can achieve high overall efficiency, often exceeding 80% when heat is effectively used. This can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared with separate power and heat production. The environmental performance depends on the fuel type, technology, and the share of renewable energy integrated into the system.

Policy and deployment: Heizkraftwerke are supported in many countries as a means to improve energy efficiency, security of supply, and grid flexibility. In Germany and the EU, policy frameworks and incentives for KWK promote the development and modernization of CHP plants and district heating networks, alongside efforts to incorporate renewables and energy-efficient heat sources.