Definition of COGENERATION

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Cogeneration is basically the production of energy and usable heat (generally in the form of steam and hot water) in the same plant, usually by capturing heat that in older plants used to be simply wasted. It's one of the principal ways in which countries intend to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions so as to slow climate change. Cogeneration plants are often small, and the fuels used in them are varied. Lumber mills, for instance, can operate their own cogeneration plants, feeding them with wood scraps and sawdust, and wastewater treatment plants generate gas that can likewise be used as a source of energy. Since it's hard to move heat long distances, cogeneration is most efficient when the heat can be used nearby. Though the general public today knows little about cogeneration, more and more of us will be benefiting from it in the coming years.

Examples of cogeneration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the heart of the multibuilding complex is a cogeneration plant that recovers wasted heat to make the buildings 70 percent more energy efficient. — Megan Mcintyre, Hana Hong, Marie Claire, "11 New Innovations in Sustainable Beauty from Around the Globe," 18 Apr. 2019 DeFeo said the Temple sewage should be going to a facility equipped with biogas cogeneration, an anaerobic process in which methane in sewage is made into fuel, making the initiative sustainable. — Annabelle Williams, Philly.com, "Temple's food waste digesters disrupting the industry or just 'shifting the burden'?," 27 June 2018 But Temple’s sewage waste (including the liquid by-product from digesters) heads to Philadelphia’s Southeast Sewage Plant, which the city Water Department confirms is not equipped with biogas cogeneration. — Annabelle Williams, Philly.com, "Temple's food waste digesters disrupting the industry or just 'shifting the burden'?," 27 June 2018 And Wheelabrator, a cogeneration plant powered by waste coal from long-defunct anthracite mines, would lose a $700,000 contract to provide steam to heat the prison. — Samantha Melamed, Philly.com, "Can the rural prison economy survive the era of decarceration?," 7 June 2018 That two-year project includes a cogeneration unit, in which a natural gas turbine will power an electrical generator, and the exhaust gas from the turbine also will be used to make steam for plant operations. — Lawrence Specker, AL.com, "Kimberly-Clark to invest $100 million in Mobile mill," 12 Apr. 2018 The company also makes money selling electricity from its cogeneration plant on Christian Street in Grays Ferry, though power-generation revenue is not factored into its rate request for steam customers. — Andrew Maykuth, Philly.com, "Veolia Energy gets 5.2% rate increase for Philly steam loop," 21 Dec. 2017 The company also makes money selling electricity from its cogeneration plant on Christian Street in Grays Ferry, though power-generation revenue is not factored into its rate request for steam customers. — Andrew Maykuth, Philly.com, "Veolia Energy gets 5.2% rate increase for Philly steam loop," 21 Dec. 2017 The company also makes money selling electricity from its cogeneration plant on Christian Street in Grays Ferry, though power-generation revenue is not factored into its rate request for steam customers. — Andrew Maykuth, Philly.com, "Veolia Energy gets 5.2% rate increase for Philly steam loop," 21 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cogeneration.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.