cogeneration

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noun co·gen·e·ra·tion \ˌkō-ˌje-nə-ˈrā-shən\

Definition of cogeneration

: the production of electricity using waste heat (as in steam) from an industrial process or the use of steam from electric power generation as a source of heat

cogenerator

play \ˌkō-ˈje-nə-ˌrā-tər\ noun

Recent Examples of cogeneration from the Web

Applied Medical in a statement said other sustainable initiatives at its Orange County facilities include using a fuel cell, a cogeneration system, a water chiller system, and programs to reduce packaging waste.

— staff report, Orange County Register, "Applied Medical completes mega-install of solar array", 12 June 2017
Weyerhaeuser said the sale covers more than 300,000 acres of timberlands in northeastern and north central Uruguay, as well as a plywood and veneer manufacturing facility, a cogeneration facility and a seedling nursery.

— seattle times business staff, The Seattle Times, "Weyerhaeuser agrees to sell Uruguay timberlands, facilities", 5 June 2017
Rick's dad wanted to build an electric cogeneration facility.

— janet eastman, OregonLive.com, "Family buys Oregon town, parcel by parcel, over 3 decades (photos)", 26 May 2017
Similarly, in Manhattan, New York University’s cogeneration plant partially powered the campus during the city-wide blackout.

— National Geographic, "How to Avoid Storm Blackouts? Colleges Go Big With Microgrids", 18 Mar. 2016
In the meantime, MIT says its upgraded cogeneration plant will offer the campus protection from extreme weather, some of which is exacerbated by global warming.

— National Geographic, "How to Avoid Storm Blackouts? Colleges Go Big With Microgrids", 18 Mar. 2016
The museum features a cogeneration plant, which produces a combination of heat and power, using natural gas.

— david gelles, New York Times, "Museums", 15 Mar. 2016
In China, where grid electricity is notoriously unreliable, 10 percent of the country's total energy supply is in cogeneration, furnishing off-grid power to petroleum refineries, pulp and paper factories, chemical plants, and iron and steel mills.

— steve silberman, WIRED, "Girding Up For the Power Grid", 14 June 2001

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.

Did You Know?

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.