CHPs are currently the most economically efficient climate protection technology. The fields of application of micro-cogeneration units are sufficient not only for the complete power supply of a detached house with electricity and heat supply. Cogeneration can even provide power for an entire metropolitan or industrial area. Fuels sources can be fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil or LPG and renewable energy such as biogas, wood gas and vegetable oil.
New and conventional CHP technologies
Regardless whether internal combustion engines, Stirling engines, gas turbines or steam engines are used, all CHP plants work on the principle of combined heat and power (CHP). Power is decentralized – meaning locally – and provides both heat and electricity.
In the future, fuel cells could play a greater role in high efficiency technologies. Combined heat and power (CHP) would convert to direct current-generation.
Planning and efficiency of CHP plants
CHP plants have to be adapted optimally in terms of their power to coincide with the consumption structure of the building. The CHP plants in the low power range are often referred to as micro-CHP or mini-CHP. A large variety of CHP manufacturers offer their products. More than 1,300 CHP modules from different CHP providers in the power range of less than 1 kW to 20 MW (20,000 kW) are available are available as power-generating heating or heating plants. The interpretation of cogeneration plants together with an appropriate cogeneration plan play an important role in any project. In addition to the CHP Price (investment and Integration costs) the success of a CHP project is determined mainly through complex legal and economic frameworks.
Legal framework (CHP Act, EEG)
The amount of current compensation fora natural gas cogeneration plant is determined through the new CHP Act . The legal provisions and the current price-compensation for a biogas plant or plant oil CHP are set by the Renewable Energies Act (EEG).
Economic conditions (energy tax, power tax)
In addition to the funding by the CHP Act and the EEG highly efficient CHP plants also benefit from specific provisions with the context of energy tax and electricity tax laws. In addition, programs such as the mini CHP incentive program exist.
Information about Cogeneration
The BHKW-Infozentrum has been providing information on Cogeneration free of charge on the Internet since 1999. On 15th October 2015, the website was relaunched.
Almost weekly BHKW-Info-Newsletter informs (via e-mail) about updates surrounding the cogeneration market and legal framework. News in brief is in addition available through 
and 
Redesign of the BHKW-Infozentrum Website
On the 15th October 2015 after several months of work, the new BHKW-Infozentrum site was published. The aim of the relaunch is to present a wealth of information clearly structured to equip all categories with their own search functions and to install an interactive tool to improve knowledge transfer. Many (new) headings are still being filled with content. By the beginning of 2016 construction work is still being carried out on the database of the new BHKW-Infozentrum.
The major innovations of the BHKW-Infozentrum are displayed clearly in „New about the BHKW-Infozentrum“.
The BHKW-Infozentrum is a vendor-neutral information platform that is created on a private initiative. Through the support of sponsors a portion of the costs for this informative CHP project can be covered. The majority of the funding is taken from profit gain achieved by BHKW- Consult.
