CHP: Combined Heat and Power Plant
Enormous savings potential through waste heat utilization
Energy efficiency instead of energy waste
Combined heat and power plants simultaneously cover up to 100% of your heating and electricity needs – with maximum utilization of the energy used.
Combined heat and power plants simultaneously cover up to 100% of your heating and electricity needs – with maximum utilization of the energy used.
Companies in Germany lose enormous savings potential every year due to unused waste heat.
According to the German Energy Agency (dena),
up to
€5 billion
could be saved annually,
if the energy efficiency potential of waste heat from 60 °C onwards were consistently utilized.
What is a combined heat and power plant?
Watch expert interview
Michael Wüstner
Sales Manager and Project Manager for Energy Solutions
Instead of letting valuable energy go unused,
a CHP plant uses fuels such as gas, oil, or wood pellets to power an engine that simultaneously generates electricity and heat – thus significantly optimizing energy use.
A combined heat and power plant (CHP) is the ideal solution
to effectively minimize energy losses from unused waste heat. It combines heat and power generation in a highly efficient system.
Your advantages
with a CHP plant
Dual use of fuel
up to 100% efficiency through condensing technology.
Self-generated electricity:
government-funded
(up to 16 cents/kWh).
High efficiency:
ideal for companies and buildings of all sizes,
that want to use electricity and heat/cooling efficiently.
Environmentally friendly:
reduced CO₂ emissions and better use of resources.
Versatility:
can be used in almost all industries and building types – wherever electricity and heat are needed
Flexibility:
can be combined with modern technologies such as heat pumps and electricity storage.
Reliability:
TÜV-certified safety systems and durable systems with up to 60,000 operating hours.
Dual use of fuel:
Up To
efficiency through condensing technology.
Reliability:
Up to
operating hours
TÜV-certified safety systems and durable systems with
Who is a CHP plant suitable for?
Industries with High Heating or Cooling Requirements:
Butchers, hotels, swimming pools, paint shops, factories, cold storage facilities, etc.
Renovation of Old Buildings:
Optimal efficiency at high heating temperatures (60–80 °C).
Companies with Base Load Requirements:
Ideal for continuous heat and power generation.
Application
District or small town
Medium consumers
Small consumers
Type
Combined heating and power plant
Combined heat and power plant (CHP)
Mini combined heat and power plant
Consumers
Consumers such as districts or small towns & Centralized energy supply
small businesses
Capacity
15 to 50 kilowatts
Key Features
High output for heat and electricity, ideal for district heating.
Flexible application possibilities, ideal for base load.
Efficient solution for small units.
The energy transition does not begin with a new system
it begins with a solution that optimally fits
Free on-site consultation and savings analysis
We offer energy solutions that
not only answer all your questions, but also optimally consider your needs.
*Individual and non-binding
Our Services
in the field of CHP for companies
Individual Consultation
Tailor-made solutions for your energy requirements.
Modern Systems:
Access to leading CHP manufacturers in all performance classes.
Installation and Service:
Professional installation and reliable maintenance.
Expansion Options:
Integration of heat pump and electricity storage.
Example Calculation
Are you wondering what values you can expect from your new CHP plant?
Our experts have created a sample calculation for you. We would also be happy to calculate the values for you and your individually desired CHP plant.
Initial situation in the example
• Heat demand per year:
170,270 kWh
• Electricity demand per year:
145,000 kWh
• Electricity price:
28.0 ct/kWh
• Natural gas price:
7.0 ct/kWh
Results of the system calculation in the example
Investment costs:
€45,950
Amortization period:
5 – 8 years
CO₂ savings:
11.1 t/year
Own electricity share:
93.4%
Annual savings through the CHP plant:
€67,874
Cost comparison: without CHP vs. with CHP
| OHNE BHKW, € | MIT BHKW, € | |
|---|---|---|
| Investitionkosten | - | 45.950 |
| Brennstoffkosten BHKW | 158.675 | |
| Brennstoffkosten Kessel | 158.093 | 46.814 |
| Strom Fremdbezug | 435.801 | 283.122 |
| Wartungskosten BHKW | - | 27.153 |
| Förderungen | - | - 35.695 |
| Gesamtkosten | 593.894 | 526.020 |
| Kosten mtl. | 4.949 | 4.383 |
| Einsparung gesamt p.a. | 67.874 |
Contact person
Michael Wüstner
CHP specialist
Telephone
Write to us!
We Would be Happy to Answer your Questions
FAQ
A combined heat and power plant is an engine that serves to generate heat and transfer it to the heating system. The size of the engine can vary. The engine is operated with a fuel such as gas, oil, or wood pellets. The resulting heat must be dissipated, for which a buffer storage is used. The exhaust gas of the engine is also used for heating. In the CHP plant, the exhaust gas temperature is cooled down to approx. 375 to 450 °C. The temperature is cooled down to condensing temperature by means of additional exhaust gas heat exchangers.
Another system is the condensing technology, which lowers the temperature of the exhaust gas to below 60 °C. A generator is operated with the power of the engine, which produces electricity. This electricity is comparable to the electricity from the grid. A combined heat and power plant also generates grid-compliant electricity without this being noticeable to the surroundings. This electricity can be used internally. There are government subsidies for CHP plants.
Yes, mainly for self-consumption. This means that the combined heat and power plant can only work when heat is needed. If, on the other hand, no heat/cooling is required, the system bridges this drop via a buffer storage. This buffer storage is available so that the combined heat and power plant can work for at least one, two, or three hours at a time.
In general, combined heat and power plants are an issue wherever there is heating. That is, where water with a temperature of up to 90 °C is needed. A CHP plant is also very well suited for underfloor heating, for example. In addition, CHP plants can also be used optimally for cooling.
For all trades that require heating or cooling and a lot of electricity. For example: butcher shops, hotels, restaurants, swimming pools, paint shops, cold storage facilities, etc.
A combined heat and power plant is basically a base load heat generator. It is about the base load circuit, i.e. the heat and electricity that are always needed. It is not about the peak load. For example, for a large factory with 500 kW base load, the CHP plant is designed for this 500 kW base load. Even if the peak load is perhaps 1000 kW, the combined heat and power plant is ideally designed only for the base load. This ensures efficient operation of the CHP plant on a permanent basis.
A CHP plant is very well suited for the renovation of old buildings, as it can be used optimally for both heating variants (underfloor heating or radiator heating).
The biggest advantage of a combined heat and power plant is the double use of the fuel used. In a conventional heating boiler, only the heat is used. The fuel is converted into heat and the rest goes outside via the exhaust gases. However, with a CHP plant, ⅔ is converted into heat and ⅓ into electricity. Thus, the efficiency is close to 100% with a CHP plant.
CHP plants are available in a wide variety of sizes. It starts with a small CHP plant the size of a washing machine for e.g. small businesses. The size can be up to a 40-foot container, sometimes even larger, depending on the power requirement.
There are also some cases in which central combined heat and power plants are located in new housing estates, which ultimately supply the houses with district heating and electricity via the municipal utilities.
We only work with the market leaders. These have the great advantage of providing a trained maintenance network. As I mentioned earlier, maintenance is extremely important for such a combined heat and power plant.
In order for maintenance to be carried out, I need manpower, that is, I need people who are specialized in system maintenance. The market leaders have a nationwide network of their own service people who can repair and maintain these systems.
There are 2 variants of CHP plants: one with a generator and the other with compressed air. With a generator, it produces heat/cooling and electricity. These CHP plants can be combined with a heat pump and electricity storage. A compressed air CHP plant produces compressed air instead of electricity, e.g. for companies with pneumatics.
These systems are all TÜV-certified and are built according to the current VDE directive.
There are electricity subsidies. That is, currently, for every kilowatt hour of electricity that I consume myself, I get 8 cents. And for every kilowatt hour of electricity that I sell into the public grid, I get 16 cents (as of March 2025).
In addition, there is also a natural gas tax refund. That is, for the natural gas I consume, I get the energy tax back from the state. Thus, these systems are exempt from energy tax.