Cogeneration: Moving Toward a Sustainable Future

In most cases, more than half of the energy used to create electricity from fossil and renewable resources is lost as waste heat. Lost energy can be recaptured through a process called cogeneration (or combined heat and power), which increases energy efficiency, improves energy security and reduces emissions. Since almost two-thirds of energy used to generate power in the United States is lost as waste heat, this technology can help access a tremendous resource. Manufacturers, institutions, commercial buildings and multi-family housing units already are using cogeneration, usually by capturing and using the heat produced from gas or steam turbines with heat recovery units. Cogeneration accounts for 9 percent of total U.S. electricity generation capacity.