MICRO-COMBINED HEAT AND POWER SYSTEM WITH EXTERIOR GENERATOR AND HEATING SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY AND METHOD OF USE

摘要

A micro-combined heat and power (mCHP) system (100) includes a liquid cooled variable speed genset (106) that is located to the exterior of a building (172) and that is provides heat and power to the interior of the building. The genset (106) may be configured to output an electrical supply of between approximately between 500W and 40 kW. A coolant loop (120) may extend from the exterior genset (106) to the interior of a building (172) and is configured to reclaim heat from one or more sources of waste heat at the engine (102), generator (104), oil (118) and/or exhaust (114). The reclaimed heat is then transferred, directly or indirectly, to the air flow path (152) of a building heating system (136). In one embodiment, the reclaimed heat is transferred to a liquid circuit (132) via a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger (130) and thence to the cold air intake (150) of a forced air furnace (136) via a liquid-to-air heat exchanger (156). A thermostat (160) may control heat transfer from the mCHP (100) to the heating system (136).