COGEN World Coalition highlights how cogeneration can contribute to helping the world reach Net-Zero Emissions
In the context of the ongoing discussions at COP29 in Azerbaijan, the COGEN World Coalition (CWC), which represents major players in cogeneration (also known as combined heat and power or CHP), is calling on political leaders and governments around the world to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by cogeneration technologies that can contribute immensely to more efficient, resilient, decentralised and decarbonised energy systems. Cogeneration can meet the energy needs of households and businesses whilst also supporting the uptake of renewable and low-carbon energy sources and delivering rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Building on its Vision Statement (as presented on 10 May 2022), the COGEN World Coalition (CWC) has fully updated its Position Paper (Combining Heat and Power for an Efficient Path to Net-Zero Emissions) that is addressed to the political leaders attending the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan.
The COGEN World Coalition is calling on world leaders to:
- Set high levels of ambition in national climate action plans under the Paris Agreement, ensuring a predictable investment environment to cost-effectively reach net-zero emissions in the coming decades across the world.
- Facilitate massive financing for a range of clean energy solutions, supporting the highest efficiency and lowest carbon solutions.
- Plan for and deploy future-proof integrated energy systems, maximising the use of all clean technologies.
- Ensure access to reliable, efficient and affordable clean energy, so that no one is left behind.
- Empower and provide dedicated OPEX/CAPEX support for energy consumers to produce their own efficient and clean energy, from local communities to large scale industries, from small businesses to vulnerable consumers, from remote areas to densely populated cities.
The President of CWC, Thomas Smith, stated: “Cogeneration, also known as combined heat and power (CHP), has a central role to play in making the most efficient use of fuels like biogas and hydrogen, complementing intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind, and helping to match supply and demand – not just for electricity but also for heating and cooling – 365 days per year. Various cogeneration technologies are available to meet the energy needs of residential and other buildings such as schools, hospitals and hotels, as well as district heating and cooling (DHC) networks and industries that require a lot of heating or cooling capacity..”
According to CWC’s Executive Director, Hans Korteweg: “Policymakers around the world need to understand that achieving Net Zero emissions will require an ambitious and flexible approach that brings together different technologies and solutions including solar and wind, heat pumps and electric vehicles, renewable fuels and clean hydrogen, as well as energy storage and carbon capture. We need to be accelerating the development and deployment of decentralised and integrated energy systems that make the best use of local energy resources, in order to deliver rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions whilst also ensuring system resilience and reliably meeting the energy needs of households, communities and businesses.”
Read the CWC Position Paper: Combining Heat and Power for an Efficient Path to Net-Zero Emissions (November 2023)
Published: 21 November 2023