There are many benefits of cogeneration. Firstly, the simultaneous production of electricity and heat allows the consumption of primary energy, that is, the fuel, to be reduced by more than 30%, compared to the separate production of energy, bringing, as already mentioned, the total efficiency of the process to 85%. Since the main use is self-consumption, transmission and distribution losses are also avoided, which occur when electricity flows on normal electricity grids. A second, very important advantage is linked to environmental protection: the greater process efficiency results in less CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions, with a consequent reduction in the environmental impact.
A third aspect is that of the resilience of the system, a topic which is very important especially in countries with frequent power failures linked to natural disasters (hurricanes) or which have low performance grids or poor networks. In this case, cogeneration, through operation in isolation, allows the continuous production of energy independently, which is a fundamental element in facilities such as hospitals, where interruption of the power supply could cause serious problems (for example in the operating rooms).
Lastly, but not in terms of importance, it is the economic advantage, which translates into significant savings in the cost linked to the reduced use of the starting fuel, as well as the self-production of the remaining energy to which the incentives are added, in the countries where they are provided for.