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Princeton Energy Systems (PES) provides turnkey services related
to the development, design, construction and project management
of biogas-fueled cogeneration projects.
PES teams up with companies that have deployed or are deploying
anaerobic digester systems for the treatment of municipal and industrial
(particularly food and beverage) wastewater streams. When anaerobic
digesters process wastewater, biogas can be a significant byproduct.
Biogas often is mostly methane, the primary component of natural
gas. Some amount of the biogas is typically burned and used to heat
the digester, with the excess usually flared (in some cases, all
is flared). When flared off, a valuable resource goes unutilized,
and if simply vented into the atmosphere, methane contributes significantly
to climate change-it captures over 20 times more heat in the atmosphere
than carbon dioxide (CO2). By installing a cogeneration system,
a facility with an anaerobic digester is able to efficiently use
an energy resource. Biogas-fueled cogeneration systems are good
for the environment and the organization's bottom line. They generate
inexpensive electricity and thermal energy from a free fuel, and
thus offset consumption of other natural resources.
Standard, electricity generating systems typically attain between
30-38% efficiencies when producing energy, the rest is lost as waste
heat and mechanical energy. Cogeneration systems can produce electricity
and hot water at a combined efficiency approaching 90%.
The electricity produced can be used to power the anaerobic digester
as well as offset the larger facility's purchases from the grid.
The captured heat from the cogeneration system can be used to heat
the digester and/or the larger facility, and it can also be used
for process heating or cooling with the addition of a thermally
driven chiller.
Biogas-fueled cogeneration systems are environmentally friendly
and economically attractive. Anaerobic digesters always produce
methane, and it must be either burned or released. Installing a
cogeneration system allows a facility to harness a source of energy
that would otherwise go unused. Economically, biogas-fueled cogeneration
systems offer strong returns because it is not necessary to purchase
fuel-the anaerobic digester provides it for free.
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