Cogeneration

Cogeneration unit uses plant waste and molasses to produce energy. Normally, the sugar mills and rice mills have cogeneration units since they generate plenty of plant waste. The molasses are used to heat water, which produces steam. The steam is passed under high pressure to run the turbines, which in turn produce electricity through magnetism. The power generated is normally consumed internally by the sugar mills or rice mills for their own requirements. This move greatly reduces the burden on the power utilities, which have to supply power to the industries. In the process, the companies become self reliant for their energy requirements. This also enables the power utilities to sharpen their focus in meeting the power requirements of other categories of consumers.

The cogeneration units can produce up to sixty to eight mega watts of power. The excess power generated is transmitted to the national grid. Such power is integrated to the national grid for distribution to all categories of power consumers. The power utilities would have signed power purchasing agreement with the mills producing power through cogeneration units to take care of the surplus power. Most of the governments support cogeneration units by offering subsidies. This is to ensure that there is adequate and surplus production of power to meet the demands of the consumers. Most of the developed countries have cogeneration units, which produce energy in excess. They not only serve as back up for the power utilities, but also step in whenever they are required to meet the demand.