Micro combined heat and power (MCHP) technologies and applications Maryam Mohammadi Maghanki a , Barat Ghobadian a,n , Gholamhassan Najafi a , Reza Janzadeh Galogah b a Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran b Tehran University, Tehran, Iran article info Article history: Received 1 December 2012 Received in revised form 17 July 2013 Accepted 20 July 2013 Keywords: Micro CHP Heat Power Energy Emission abstract Micro-cogeneration, also termed micro combined heat and power (MCHP) or residential cogeneration, is an emerging technology with the potential to provide energy efficiency and environmental benefits by reducing primary energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. MCHP can help to meet a number of energy and social policy aims. These are the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from energy supply, increased decentralization of energy supply, improved energy security, possible avoidance of investment in and energy losses from electricity transmission and distribution networks, and potentially reduced energy cost to consumers. Micro-cogeneration systems have the potential to reduce energy demands of the residential sector for space heating, domestic hot water heating, and electricity. The reduced greenhouse gas emissions and reduced reliance upon central electrical generation, transmission, and distribution systems are the possible benefits. Also in the present paper, a comparison has been made between the MCHP technology and the other ones such as prime mover, electrical and thermal power, efficiency and emissions. Crown Copyright & 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 510 2. Global CHP status ................................................................................................... 512 3. Current MCHP energy and emissions .................................................................................... 513 4. Prime mover technologies (CHP technologies)............................................................................. 516 4.1. Internal combustion engines ..................................................................................... 516 4.2. Micro gas turbines ............................................................................................. 517 4.3. Micro Rankine cycles ........................................................................................... 517 4.4. Stirling engines ............................................................................................... 517 4.5. Thermo photovoltaic (TPV) generators ............................................................................. 517 4.6. Fuel cells .................................................................................................... 517 4.7. Prime movers for single family users .............................................................................. 518 5. CHP is more efficient than conventional electricity generation ............................................................... 519 6. Using renewable energy in Micro CHP systems ............................................................................ 519 7. Applications of Micro CHP plants ....................................................................................... 521 8. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 521 Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................... 522 Reference .............................................................................................................. 522 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 1364-0321/$ - see front matter Crown Copyright & 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.07.053 n Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 21 48292308; fax: +98 21 48292200. E-mail addresses: ghobadib@modares.ac.ir, bghoabadian@gmail.com (B. Ghobadian). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 28 (2013) 510–524