Systems and methods utilize a cogeneration system for providing heating, cooling, and/or electricity to an enclosure. The system includes a heat engine for heating and supplying electricity to the enclosure through fluid transfer from the heat engine to the enclosure to transfer thermal energy from the fluid to the enclosure. The system further includes a heat pump configured to supply at least heating and cooling to the enclosure through movement of fluid from the heat pump to the enclosure to transfer thermal energy from the fluid to the enclosure.

Systems and methods utilize a cogeneration system for providing heating, cooling, and/or electricity to an enclosure. The system includes a heat engine for heating and supplying electricity to the enclosure. Coupled to the heat engine is a first conduit configured to transfer fluid from the heat engine to the enclosure to transfer thermal energy from the fluid to the enclosure. The system further includes a heat pump configured to supply at least heating and cooling to the enclosure. Coupled to the heat pump is at least a second conduit. The second conduit is configured to move fluid from the heat pump to the enclosure to transfer thermal energy from the fluid to the enclosure.

A combined heat and power (CHP) system is installed with a power lock-out feature preventing flow of heated working fluid to an expander driving a generator generating electrical power until installation by a licensed person is completed, whereby heat can be provided to a building substantially immediately after installation of the CHP system, while power generation can be deferred until convenient.

The disclosed technology includes an on-demand water heater which uses an electric heat source to heat the water. The on-demand water heater can have a low fluid capacity heating chamber which has an inlet and an outlet, an electric heat source for heating the water, and a controller to control the electric heat source and maintain the temperature of the water at a predetermined temperature setting. The on-demand water heater can be powered by a direct current power source. The on-demand water heater can also utilize a solar thermal system to provide additional heat to the water.

Cogeneration system (200, 300) comprising: a boiler (201, 301) able to heat water for domestic use; a combustor (201a, 301a) placed into the boiler; a compressor (204, 304); a heat exchanger (202, 302) for the exchange of thermal energy between the combustion fumes generated in the combustor (201a, 301a) and a fluid coming from the compressor (204, 304); a gas turbine (203, 303); a current generator (205, 305) and a current converter (206, 306) able to produce electrical energy; a main fumes/water exchanger (207, 307) able to recover thermal energy. The cogeneration system (200, 300) comprises also a by-pass valve (210, 310) configured to adjust the flow of fluid entering the gas turbine (203, 303).

A system, an arrangement and method for heating and cooling of several building spaces-or buildings includes two or more building spaces or buildings, and a secondary thermal network including a supply line and a return line. The arrangement further comprises two or more building connections arranged parallel to each other and between the supply line and provided in connection with the two or more building spaces or buildings, a ground hole and a geothermal heat exchanger provided to the ground hole and arranged in connection with the secondary thermal network.

The disclosure provides a method, an apparatus, and a storage medium for controlling heating system. The method includes: establishing an objective function and constraints for estimating system parameters of the heating system, in which the heating system includes nodes, pipelines and equivalent branches, the equivalent branch is configured to represent a heating resource or a heating load in the heating system, the system parameters include a resistance coefficient of each of the pipelines and equivalent branches, and a heat dissipation coefficient of each of the pipelines; solving the objective function based on the constraints to obtain the system parameters; modeling the heating system based on the obtained system parameters to obtain control parameters of the heating system; and controlling the heating system based on the control parameters.

An energy generating system for generating thermal energy and electrical energy for a premises. The system includes an engine that drives an AC power generator to supply supplemental or standby power to the premises. The thermal energy given off by the engine is also coupled to the premises to provide heat thereto. A processor controls the various parameters of both the energy generating system and the premises to coordinate the proper heating and cooling thereof.

An apparatus for recovering heat in an ablutionary or plumbing system includes first and second pipes for carrying fluids at different temperatures. A first heat transfer element is configured to be thermally coupled to the first pipe and a second heat transfer element configured to be thermally coupled to the second pipe, with each having an elongate portion extending in a direction away from the associated pipe. The elongate portions of the first and second heat transfer elements at least partially overlap. A thermoelectric device is provided that includes one or more thermoelectric elements located between the elongate portions, the thermoelectric element(s) being in thermal communication with the elongate portion of the first heat transfer element and the elongate portion of the second heat transfer element and being arranged to generate electricity from a temperature differential between the elongate portions of the first and second heat transfer elements.

A fuel cell system is disclosed. The fuel cell system comprises: a fuel cell module including a plurality of unit cells for generating electrical energy by using oxygen of air and hydrogen of a reformed fuel gas; a first module including a burner part which burns an unreacted fuel gas and air discharged from the fuel cell module, an air-heating part which heats air through heat exchange with a hot combustion gas and a flame generated by the burner part and supplies the heated air to the fuel cell module, and a water vapor generation part which converts water, flowing through an inner portion thereof, into water vapor through heat exchange with a hot combustion gas generated by the burner part; and a second module which mixes a fuel supplied from an external fuel supply source and water vapor supplied from an water-vapor generator part, allows a water vapor reformation reaction to occur, and supplies a reformed fuel gas to the fuel cell module.