Micro-CHP heads home

has been appointed by

, which is heading up a pan-European consortium, to help develop a new mass-market micro-CHP (Combined Heat and Power) system for domestic use.

The consortium, which includes energy and installation companies as well as government departments, aims to have its first-generation system up and running by the end of 2007.

Research from COGEN Europe, the pan-European trade association promoting CHP, highlights that across the European Union there is the potential for up to 50 million installations. The key markets for micro-CHP deployment are initially the UK, the Netherlands and Germany.

‘Micro-CHP is a hot topic at the moment, thanks to government pressure to reduce our carbon footprint and the home-owner’s focus on cost reduction. People realise that micro-CHP offers a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution over the long term. However, at the moment CHP systems under development for the domestic market will fail to offer performance at the right price and are typically three years from market,’ said GTC Chairman Peter van der Lichte. ‘There is significant demand now, therefore the market needs a product that costs around the same as current systems, yet can deliver the high efficiency that the technology promises.’