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Fuel
independent
principal
Projections show Europe’s fuel mix will be more diversified and
of lower carbon intensity in
the future than in the past. Natural gas, coal, waste and
increasingly biomass are favoured
fuels for cogeneration in different parts of Europe. The
principal is the same. The energy
savings are explicitly delivered by generating electricity and
heat on one site in a process
which conforms to high efficiency cogeneration. Diversity of
fuel supply generally assists
security of supply by minimizing the shock delivered by changes
in any single fuel.
In a recent statement on cogeneration potential, Denmark5
writes:
“The conscious effort to expand cogeneration has contributed to
increased security of supply
through decentralisation and flexibility in the use of fuels.
Danish cogeneration plants are
generally very efficient, thus contributing to major energy
savings.”
The expanding role of biomass and the ongoing public discussion
of a sustainable supply
chain for biomass fuel, re-emphasises the need to focus on fuel
efficiencies. Because of the
lower energy content of biomass fuels and the relatively higher
emissions associated with it a
high level of energy efficiency at every stage of its use,
should be mandatory for biomass as
part of a secure fuel mix.
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