Taiwan is poised to make better use of surplus heat generated by the nation’s 24 incinerating plants, according to the Environmental Protection Administration March 13.
The EPA is designing a waste heat recovery system that can transform surplus steam generated in the incineration process into energy to be used for air conditioning facilities, said Chen Shyan-heng, head of the EPA’s Bureau of Environmental Inspection.
The recovery system will increase the heat recycle efficiency rate at the nation’s incinerators by at least 10 percent, he added.
“In addition, the proposed system is expected to bring in additional revenues of over NT$2 billion (US$67 million) per year for the EPA, which will sell the energy and air conditioning services to nearby factories and companies.”
The plan will benefit both the incinerating facilities and their neighbors, he added.
Chen cited the state-run China Steel Corp. as an example of what he meant, noting that the company has been selling energy generated from steam to nearby factories for over a decade.
In 2010 alone, China Steel sold 2.5 million metric tons of steam energy to its neighbors, a move that not only generated profits for the company but also helped it reduce carbon emissions by 560,000 tons, the EPA noted.
Residential condos near existing incineration plants are expected to be the first ones to benefit from the new systems, according to Chen.
The power stations attached to Taiwan’s 24 refuse incineration plants are capable of yielding a total of 3,070 megawatts of electricity per year, according to the EPA.
In 2011, 76.8 percent of the electricity generated by the plants was sold to Taiwan Power, generating revenue of about NT$4.5 billion.
