Combined heat and power: the route to 2050 - call for evidence

Clean Growth is one of the four grand challenges of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and energy efficiency and decarbonising heat are vital parts of the ambition. In June 2019, the UK committed in legislation to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Combined heat and power (CHP) is an efficient process that captures and utilises the heat that is produced in power generation, this is usually electrical but can in some instances be mechanical. By generating heat and power simultaneously from the same fuel, CHP can reduce carbon emissions by up to 30% compared to the separate generation of heat through a gas-fired boiler and an electricity power station. Where a demand for both heat and electricity exist in the same location, CHP can reduce energy costs whilst reducing carbon emissions and air pollution. CHP schemes can encompass a range of different generation technologies and can be fuelled by fossil fuels or renewables e.