CHP use stalls in Europe

The use of combined heat and power (CHP) in Europe has stalled according to figures released by Eurostat – the body responsible for providing statistics for the EU. Its 2013 […]

The use of combined heat and power (CHP) in Europe has stalled according to figures released by Eurostat – the body responsible for providing statistics for the EU.

Its 2013 Statistical Pocketbook showed CHP’s share of electricity generated in the EU fell from 11.7% in 2010 to 11.2% in 2011.

Although capacity rose by 0.4%,  actual generation fell by 4.4%, down to 375.5 TWh.

It was the same story for heat. Capacity saw a small drop of 0.4GW, as did production, which fell by around 40 petajoules.

The trade association COGEN Europe said the figures showed the percentage of CHP capacity being used had fallen from 43% in 2010 to 41% in 2011.

COGEN Europe said: “There is a real concern about the growing impact of low utilisation rates on investment and reinvestment in the CHP sector.”

The statistics also show the UK is lagging behind the rest of Europe, with CHP accounting for just 6.3% of British electricity generation in 2011.

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