Summary
Industrial plants in the United States are unlikely to stop using fossil fuels because the amount of power acquired from other sources is still inadequate. The fact that wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) energy are in short supply has compelled environmentally-conscious organizations to seek different means of mitigating the emissions of greenhouse gases. This includes the generation of electricity from waste heat (Ayres & Ayres, 2009). In addition to curtailing pollution, these companies are also saving on the cost of energy.
Major Stakeholders
Companies engaged in cogeneration intend to use the produced electricity to accomplish other manufacturing activities. For instance, Mittal Steel Company has a coking system known as Cokenergy. The waste heat it releases during the conversion of coal into coke is harnessed and ultimately used to produce 90 megawatts (MW) of power. This is what keeps the rolling machinery at the steel plant running. Using the same energy generation process, U.S. Steel salvages 100MW (Ayres & Ayres, 2009). Together, these two companies recover more electricity than is produced using solar-photovoltaic systems.
Objectives
Organizations that seek alternative sources of energy endeavor to save the cost of operation while still protecting the environment. Their choice must be sufficient and reliable enough to either increase or retain the level of efficiency they enjoy at the moment. The electricity that is produced as a by-product through cogeneration is as clean as a power acquired through solar collectors (Ayres & Ayres, 2009). Companies that recycle power are geared towards reducing the amount they purchase from local utilities. It is an effective way of ensuring that this important factor of production is under the control of internal stakeholders.
The Plan-of Action
Firms start by undertaking a feasibility study to determine the viability of implementing a certain strategy. It takes between three to four years to install a cogeneration plant. Once its operations have started, the generated power is supplied to other facilities as a substitute for electricity gotten from the local utility. Such a strategy is worthwhile because, henceforth, a company’s cost of electric power is reduced by half (Ayres & Ayres, 2009). Organizations have the incentive to salvage the waste heat which would otherwise escape into the atmosphere as it happens in conventional facilities.
Successes and Failures
The primary processes of manufacturing are bound to continue being powered by fossil fuel. The energy produced through emission-free means accounts for only 10% of the entire amount needed to run plants all over the country (Ayres & Ayres, 2009). Therefore, some level of pollution will persist until there has been technological progress to warrant getting rid of fossil fuels. Nevertheless, cogeneration should continue, especially because it will take several years before the amount of solar-PV and wind energy is significant enough to replace fossil fuels.
Reference
Ayres, R. U., & Ayres, E. H. (2009). Crossing the energy divide: Moving from fossil fuel dependence to a clean-energy future. Prentice Hall.