Comments | valuesystem: Extreme Energy Inefficiency from Generator Conversion

valuesystem

Extreme Energy Inefficiency from Generator Conversion

Nov 09, 2007 23:00

I've been looking into an emergency backup energy source for my home. Over the past several days, I've explored various websites, read books and pamphlets, and visited local stores that specialize in backup home power. In the process, I seem to have discovered something about how much energy is wasted in converting chemical energy to electrical ( Read more... )

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Comments 2

internal combustion engine anonymous November 11 2007, 02:03:43 UTC

is only about 20 percent efficient, the rest is consumed in friction and wasted heat into the exhaust system .. You can capture some of the wasted energy, and use the heat, than it is called co generation.

Re: internal combustion engine valuesystem November 11 2007, 12:57:12 UTC

Yes, and that is a big disappointment. I wonder if the external combustion engine (Sterling Engine) has better efficiency.

It makes it seems like a no brainer that cogeneration is used in the most efficient powerplants. In fact, Europe is leading the charge in this area. One community, in Denmark if I'm not mistaken, uses "waste heat" to provide most of the heating needs for thousands of homes.