Trigeneration Technology – Promotion of Energy Efficiency in Indian Building Sector’ on August 26, 2013 in New Delhi
Background
India is already the world’s fourth largest consumer of energy. Experts believe that the current energy demand could increase twofold by 2030. Import dependence has also constantly been rising. Already more than 70% of petroleum is being imported. It is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the fuel demand, especially for gas power plants. National energy supply is not able to keep pace with the current 6% growth rate of the Indian economy. In order to keep import dependency in the conventional energy sector as low as possible, strategies for enhancing energy efficiency and utilizing renewable energy are increasingly becoming the focus of India’s energy policy.
Air conditioners are a big source of energy consumption with temperatures regionally reaching over 40°C in summer. Trigeneration technology, i.e. the simultaneous production of electricity and cooling through absorption chillers in summer, or electricity and heating in winter, is by and large unknown in India and not sufficiently tested. The efficiency of the system reached up to 85 % or more by recovering waste heat for heating and cooling purpose.
Through a project financed by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) have demonstrated the advantages of the technology at Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center (JPNATC). The pilot plant has three main components viz. gas engine, vapour absorption machine (VAM) and centrifugal chiller. The waste heat produced during the power production from gas engine is recovered for cooling through VAM and low temperature water is used for applications like kitchen, laundry, swimming pool heating, etc. The technology is suitable for buildings that have simultaneous cooling and heating load.
The plant has a capacity to produce 347 kW of electrical power; the waste heat from exhaust gases from the engine is recovered through VAM to produce 105 TR of air-conditioning, the low-temperature hot water is recovered from jacket water for heating applications in kitchen and laundry. The overall efficiency thus reached up to 77 %. This is very high when compared to the overall efficiency of power plant and diesel generators, i.e. 25 % and 33 % respectively.
The Trigen technology by this increased efficiency helps to reduce load on the national grid and is also attractive financially with a payback period between 2-4 years depending on the fuel availability, energy mix and energy prices. The technology is very attractive as compared to conventional methods of power production with the following major advantages:
- Higher energy efficiency (up to 85 %)
- Air-conditioning and heating provided free of cost by recovering waste heat
- Easy to maintain as captive power generation and centralized AC plants
- Reliable power supply
- User controlled energy generation
- Continuous power supply
- Environment friendly technology
- Lower emissions compared to grid and diesel supplied electricity
Purpose of the Workshop and Target Group
According to a study conducted by the Indo-German Energy Program (IGEN), this technology has a large potential in India. The most promising sectors for this technology are hotels, hospitals, airports, shopping malls, office complexes, etc. The further dissemination of this technology has therefore also been discussed under Subgroup 3 of the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF) since its 3rd meeting in 2009.
To facilitate the replication and implementation of projects on the mode of Energy Supply and Performance Contracting and to develop a viable ESCO industry, the Ministry of Power has set up Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a Joint Venture of NTPC Limited, PFC, REC and Powergrid to facilitate implementation and provide financing for energy efficiency projects.
During the workshop the benefits of the trigeneration technology shall therefore be explained on the example of the demonstration project at Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center (JPNATC). Technology providers will further outline the technical feasibility and will inform on important aspects from the viewpoint of project implementation. The potential of further dissemination of the technology through an energy services business model will be discussed by EESL and other stakeholders with inputs from a successful German energy services provider. Other important aspects such as the availability of gas will also be discussed with stakeholders from Government and private industry.
The main target group of the workshop are decision makers and technical managers from the public and private sector who might be willing to implement the trigeneration technology either in new or in existing buildings. During the discussions the key success factors for the further dissemination of the trigeneration technology in India and the requirements for a feasible business model shall be identified.