Performance Monitoring & Assessment
Performance monitoring is essential to check that the CHP package is performing as specified. Plant performance should be monitored and recorded to show changes in key parameters such as output and fuel consumption, and to provide information on other factors that affect performance such as air temperature and pressure. It is also important to monitor the rate at which plant performance changes, as this provides an important basis for planning maintenance tasks and plant overhauls. Performance monitoring is an essential input into an effective advisory system.
Performance monitoring requires the inclusion of accurate metering facilities within the design of the CHP package and its equipment. These will allow the accurate monitoring of:
- Fuel consumption.
- Electricity output.
- Heat supplied to the site.
- Hours of operation.
As well as monitoring for plant management purposes, it is also necessary to monitor the inputs and outputs of the CHP plant to assess its overall annual performance. This monitoring component is essential if the plant is to demonstrate its achievement of the necessary quality standards for exemption from the Climate Change Levy (CCL) on supplies of fuel and electricity. Metering installed for CCL registration must be able to differentiate between heat used by the site and heat rejected to atmosphere via a cooling system, and the meters should be positioned correctly to achieve this.
Exemption from the CCL for Good Quality CHP schemes will be based on certificates issued by the DEFRA’s CHPQA programme. Details of monitoring requirements for the CHPQA programme are available on the CHPQA programme’s website.
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