Do you know what is a cogeneration station and why saves energy? The Universitat de València has a cogeneration station at the Campus de los Naranjos, you can find all the information on this link: What else does the university do?

How does it work?

This graph is created by the Àrea de Medi Ambient from the monthly gas consumptions of the cogeneration motors and their electricity production provided by the Maintenance Service.

The graphic shows the monthly consumption of natural gas from cogeneration engines, and its production of electricity and heat. If you pass the cursor over the bar, exact values will appear.

The lower graphic is used to choose the desired date range. Dragging the tabs on the sides, lets you choose the date range you want to consult from 2013 to today.

Finally, the ‘€uros’ and ‘kWh’ tabs have the function of transforming values into economic values in order to quantify their dimensions and associating savings.

What values show?

Data is updated at the end of each month. On the one hand, particularly, this graphic uses the sum of the natural gas consumptions of the cogeneration engines (F). On the other hand, it shows the resulting electricity generation (E). The value of the heat produced by the motors (H) is calculated from the previous values assuming an equivalent electrical performance (REE), consisting of 55%, which is the value that has been obtained in one-off measures, and using the formula: REE= E/(F-H/0.9).

The counters data are given in kWh. In order to obtain the equivalence in euros, the average price of the university's total for each year is € / kWh: natural gas for consumption and for heat production, and electricity for the case of electricity production.

What is done with this electricity and heat?

The electricity generated by the cogeneration station is consumed by the campus buildings, and if there are surpluses in time, they are sold in the electricity grid of the city. What we can observe is that one of their advantages when power cuts are occurring, the cogeneration station still working, prioritizing the use of electricity generated to keep the elevators running and the lighting of corridors and common spaces.

On the other hand, the heat produced in the electricity generation process is used to heat the campus buildings. In the first link of this explanation you will find more information