CHP – Just another technical abbreviation, you think? But do you actually know what CHP stands for – not just in literal terms, but also as regards the story behind the abbreviation?

CHP is short for combined heat and power plants. Wherever both power and heat are needed, those plants are a good and economical choice – that’s why the technology sometimes is also called “cogeneration”. In a simplified way, you could say that combined heat and power (CHP) plants recover otherwise wasted thermal energy for heating when producing electricity.

Modern CHPs with gas engines can produce up to more than 100 MW (megawatts) electricity and 100 MW heat at the same time very efficiently, reaching levels above 90%. That means an input of 100% (for example natural gas) leads to an output of electricity and heating of more than 90%.

Small and large utilities with district heating systems, municipal facilities, such as hospitals, university campuses or entire industrial systems need a lot of power, heat, steam and cooling – and we are there to help to provide it to them.

Experience for more than four decades

Ever since Zeppelin erected the first CHP for the German community of Schwarzachtal back in 1971, we have been a specialist in design, plant engineering and construction of turnkey CHP solutions, commissioning, servicing and repairing CHP plants and generator sets. In more than four decades, we have installed over 700 gas engines and generator sets – mainly in Germany, but also in other countries such as Russia, the Czech Republic or Slovakia. The total electrical output in Germany is more than 600 megawatts (in over 40 years). With the energy of just one kilowatt you can vacuum-clean for an hour – so, considering that one megawatt comprises 1,000 kilowatt, you may do your own maths!

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A reliable one-stop supplier

We at Zeppelin create solutions for our customers – when it comes to CHPs, either as generator sets with gas engine and generator or as turnkey systems, with special solutions for heat extraction – on request also fully containerized or as a built-in-concrete solution.

We are a reliable one-stop supplier. In turnkey projects, we act as a general contractor, from the conceptual design phase, through implementation to maintenance for our customers’ system. We offer a full portfolio for industry, municipal utilities, energy providers – all from one source, according to the customers’ need.

So, you might appreciate the power behind C-H-P now!

Further information:

Zeppelin Power Systems – Cogeneration – Combined heat and power plants (CHP plants)