Apartment Cogeneration

Heat & power for apartment buildings

Inoplex cogeneration can provide apartments with sufficient power by converting biomass into electricity, while also utilising the heat created from the electricity generation process, which would normally be lost by traditional power plants. The saved heat can be used for hot water, heated pools and steam for cooking and cleaning.

How is waste converted into electricity?

There are a number of ways cogenerators convert waste into power. In existing complexes, residents can simply throw their food waste into an extra bin, which is then collected to be sorted. The material is separated into suitable waste, which is sent to the anaerobic digester for energy production and other rubbish which is put back to landfill.

For new facilities, biomass is put through an incinerator to remove food handling from the process for convenience, before being sent directly to a digester to produce biogas rather than a sewer.

Alternatively, apartment residents can put all of their waste into one bin. The waste from these bins is then emptied onto a press, which compresses and squeezes the waste at a significantly high pressure to extract a ‘soupy’ organic matter from the biomass. This can be emptied into an anaerobic digester for energy production. The “puck” of the compressed waste is then gasified to produce more energy and carbon for soil building. 

Anaerobic digestion and gasification

Once biomass has been transported to the digester, microbes convert the carbon-based compounds into biogas, which is then fed into an engine to generate power and heating. For an apartment building, this would be in the form of a tidy stainless steel tank, with a water jacket to keep it nice and warm at a controlled temperature all year. The anaerobic digester is air tight, which prevents any odours from being released. 

Gasification has been around since the 1870s and is when a waste matter is heated to extreme temperatures to create a renewable energy source. By gasifying the “puck” or waste product of the compressed food matter, you recover the energy from plastics, cardboard and paper, substantially increasing your energy potential. 

Benefits of CHP cogeneration for apartments

• Significantly lower carbon emissions.
• Reduced energy waste.
• Additional heat energy.
• Reduced landfill waste.
• Renewable energy.
• Saves money spent on heating and cooling.

Apartment cogeneration specialists

Are you interested in cogeneration for your apartment’s electricity and heating? Get in touch with the team of experienced professionals at Inoplex to discuss a completely customised cogeneration system for your apartment. Contact us today on 0448 307 282 or complete our apartment cogeneration enquiry form today.