Micro-CHP

Micro-CHP solutions are at the heart of commercially viable options for cheaper, cleaner energy, and are helping to change the way the world produces energy. These include internal combustion engines, Stirling engines, microturbines and fuel cells.

A key advantage is the scalability of Cortexo. Other similar products on the market may monitor hundreds, but Cortexo can monitor hundreds of thousands of devices simultaneously.

Micro-CHP systems for manufacturers

Cortexo’s micro-CHP monitoring solution was pioneered with WhisperTech and their market-leading Stirling engine-based micro-CHP. WhisperTech is one of the world’s leading developers of micro-CHP devices and in 2008 the company was awarded New Zealand Engineering Innovator of the Year for its micro-CHP product. Using data provided by Cortexo, WhisperTech has been able to improve the performance of their remote machines.

Cortexo’s micro-CHP monitoring software allows manufacturers to simultaneously monitor tens of thousands of units in real time. With this knowledge Cortexo’s customers are improving customer service, reducing maintenance time and cost, adding to their product development process and gathering the data that proves the value of their offering.

Offered as software as a service, Cortexo develops, hosts and maintains its monitoring software and allows micro-CHP manufacturers to connect devices to the service for a monthly subscription fee. There is no hardware or infrastructure investment, no technical IT support requirements and no software upgrade problems.

Click here to see a demonstration.

Micro-CHP systems for the Smart Grid

It is anticipated that micro-CHP units may provide 20% or so of the UK's electricity generating capacity, more than is currently obtained from nuclear power.

Micro-CHP systems in homes are controlled by heat demand and deliver electricity as a by-product. The micro-CHP unit replaces the gas central heating boiler and provides heat and hot water as well as some of the home's electricity needs. Although each unit produces relatively small amounts of electricity, the significance of micro-CHP lies in the potentially huge numbers of systems which may ultimately be installed in the millions of homes generating power at the point of consumption.

Micro-CHP systems often generate more electricity than is demanded. This extra home generated power can be sold back to an electricity utility, which is efficient as spare electricity can be re-distributed and used immediately across a smart grid.

Energy companies can use Cortexo to create and control a virtual power station based on the distributed power generation capabilities of micro-CHP units.