CO2 Emission Savings Research Articles

Study on steam energy efficiency enhancement, cost management and CO2 emissions in the food industry

Malaysia’s energy intensity per unit GDP has been increasing since the 1990s, leading to the government’s efforts to promote energy efficiency via policies and initiatives such as Energy Performance Contracting (EPC). Additionally, the industrial sector in Malaysia consumed 28% of total final energy in 2018, placing it as the country’s second-largest final energy consumer [1]. This case study focuses on improving energy efficiency in the steam system of an existing plant in the food industry in Malaysia. This work was performed in collaboration with a local Energy Service Company (ESCO) to study the existing steam system, recognize its process requirements and constraints and consequently propose and evaluate retrofit opportunities. These opportunities were evaluated across 3 performance parameters (power output or energy savings, cost savings and CO2 emissions savings). Simulations were performed using the Steam System Modeler Tool (SSMT). The study found that Combined Heat and Power (CHP) was not feasible due to a combination of low steam pressure and flowrate available in the system. However, the study also found that improving condensate recovery coupled with condensate flashing from the high pressure to low pressure header offered the highest increments in overall performance.

Remanufacturing construction and demolition waste and incineration ashes into eco-blocks: Quantitative sustainability assessment

This study performed a sustainability evaluation of a proposed business for remanufacturing concrete materials from construction and demolition waste (CDW) and ash from the combustion of municipal solid waste (MSW) to produce eco-blocks for construction applications. Six possible industrial remanufacturing alternatives are proposed based on commercially available industrial machinery and their economic sustainability was compared by a cost and profit feasibility study. Furthermore, the technical feasibility was evaluated by considering the maturity of the selected machinery based on the relationships among the cost–productivity, power–productivity, and number of workers–productivity pairs. The proposed remanufacturing business achieves a maximum profit of 17,643 USD/day with a minimum remanufacturing cost of 30.65 USD/t for the production of 529 t of eco-blocks in an 8-h factory shift. A quantitative environmental sustainability assessment was performed using the remanufacturing cost, profit, concrete savings, energy savings, CO2 emission savings, and eco-cost savings as criteria based on demographic statistics from the literature for current and predicted CDW and MSW generation. CDW and incineration ash are widely available, so the proposed process is viable worldwide. Based on the technical, economic, and environmental sustainability results, a final sustainability index of 0.874 was calculated, which exceeds literature thresholds for a sustainable business, indicating that the proposed eco-block remanufacturing process has the potential to generate substantial profits, while positively contributing to reducing waste and energy usage by recovering valuable resources and producing value-added products. The remanufactured eco-blocks are prepared in the same way as typical concrete blocks and can be used for all of the same residential, commercial, and industrial construction and landscaping applications. The remanufactured eco-blocks have several advantages over typical concrete blocks, including a much lower manufacturing cost (∼50 % lower), significant environmental and resource savings by avoiding the use of new sand and gravel resources, and improved mechanical properties.

Design and assessment of a concentrating solar thermal system for industrial process heat with a copper slag packed-bed thermal energy storage

Decarbonising the industrial sector is a key part of climate change mitigation targets, and Solar Heat for Industrial Process (SHIP) is a promising technology to achieve this. However, one of the drawbacks of SHIP systems is that they rely on an intermittent energy source. Therefore, sensible energy storage has emerged as a potential solution. In addition, solid byproducts have been proposed as a low-cost but effective material for thermal energy storage (TES). This work presents a SHIP system model coupled with a copper slag-packed-bed TES (PBTES) model using air as heat transfer fluid. The TES has been implemented to preheat the makeup water of the tank where steam is generated. A system design was carried out using a parametric analysis to find a solar field size and a corresponding TES volume. The resulting system was simulated, and the operating variables were analysed in detail. The results show that it is possible to generate 20% more energy due to the storage system. Additionally, a techno-economic analysis indicates that the SHIP with PBTES system results in a payback period of 14 years and a savings of CO2 emissions of 30tCO2.

Estimation of wood biomass boiler use in cold climate regions on CO2 emissions of light-frame timber structure

Considering Nagano City, as the cold climate region of Japan, the annual heating load was simulated using a model of a two-story timber structure. The results of simulations were used to compare the CO2 emissions according to the energy consumption of five methods of heating as well as primary and secondary energy sources. Actual data from power and gas companies in Nagano and Japanese energy standards were used for the estimations of CO2 emissions of electric heat pump air conditioners, LNG-powered city gas boilers, LPG boilers, kerosene stoves, and wood biomass boilers using pellets as an energy source. Wood biomass boilers showed CO2 emission savings of up to 85 %, 75 %, 75 %, and 76 %, respectively. The operating and equipment costs were estimated based on secondary energy calculations. The kerosene stove had the lowest cost, but CO2 emissions were lowest in the case of using pellet boilers for 30 years. These results clearly show the potential and merit of pellets used in wood biomass boilers as a renewable energy source when compared to fossil fuels. In addition to the CO2 reduction capabilities, the low operating costs of wood biomass heating systems incentivize their use in cold climates.

Replacing Gray Hydrogen with Renewable Hydrogen at the Consumption Location Using the Example of the Existing Fertilizer Plant

The production and use of hydrogen are encouraged by the European Union through Delegated Acts, especially in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as the industrial and transport sectors. This study analyzes the possibility of partial decarbonization of the existing plant in the petrochemical industry, with a partial transition from natural gas to renewable hydrogen, as a precursor to the adoption of the hydrogen economy by 2050. This study was based on the example of a plant from the petrochemical industry, namely an existing fertilizer plant. Namely, in the petrochemical industry, hydrogen is produced by steam-reforming natural gas, which is needed in the process of producing ammonia, one of the basic raw materials for mineral fertilizers. By building an electrolyzer at the location of the existing fertilizer plant, it is possible to obtain renewable hydrogen, which enters the ammonia production process as a raw material. The electricity from which hydrogen is produced in the electrolyzer is provided through Power Purchase Agreement contracts concluded with electricity producers from 12 wind power plants. The results of this study show that the production of renewable hydrogen at the location of the analyzed plant is not profitable, but due to the specificity of the process of such an industry, the high consumption of natural gas, and large savings in CO2 emissions which can be achieved by the production of renewable hydrogen, investment is needed. With a 370 MW electrolyzer, about 31,000 tons of renewable hydrogen is produced, which represents about 50% of the hydrogen needs of the analyzed plant. By producing renewable hydrogen for part of the needs of the analyzed plant, a saving of about 300,000 tons of CO2 emissions is achieved in relation to the production of gray hydrogen, which contributes to the partial decarbonization of the analyzed plant. The authors are aware that the current market opportunities do not allow the profitability of the investment without subsidies, but with the advancement of technology and a different price ratio of electricity, natural gas, and CO2 emissions, they believe that such investments will be profitable even without subsidies.

Comprehensive assessment of PCM integrated roof for passive building design: A study in energo-economics

There has been a notable surge in energy demand within the building sector of developing nations, particularly in the context of space cooling and heating, which constitute significant portions of energy consumption. The thermal performance of a building’s roof slab plays a crucial role in determining these heating and cooling requirements. To address this, the utilization of Phase Change Material (PCM) to enhance the building’s thermal energy storage capacity has emerged as an innovative strategy for reducing energy demand. This study assesses the thermal behavior of a building envelope integrated with macroencapsulated PCM in a real subtropical environment. Experimental setups include both a conventional slab unit (Ref–SU) devoid of PCM and a PCM (OM37) integrated slab unit (Exp–SU). Analysis entails examining variations in temperature, heat flow, thermal loadings, and maximum heat gain reduction. Economic metrics, such as electricity savings, simple payback periods, and CO2 emissions savings, are also scrutinized. The investigation aims to elucidate the efficacy and underlying parameters governing the PCM’s performance in reducing thermal loads in the Indian city of Rupnagar. Findings indicate that the Exp–SU configuration reduces indoor temperatures by 4.0 °C during sunny hours, resulting in 33.33 % more electricity savings for space cooling compared to heating, with a simple payback period of 5.7 years. Additionally, the heat flux in Exp–SU is reduced by 60.6 % compared to Ref–SU and thermal load by up to 49.8 %. Furthermore, Exp–SU achieves a 44.24 % reduction in CO2 emissions for space cooling compared to heating with a maximum heat gain reduction of 40.3 %.

Travel Distance Between Participants in US Telemedicine Sessions With Estimates of Emissions Savings: Observational Study.

Digital health and telemedicine are potentially important strategies to decrease health care's environmental impact and contribution to climate change by reducing transportation-related air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, we currently lack robust national estimates of emissions savings attributable to telemedicine. This study aimed to (1) determine the travel distance between participants in US telemedicine sessions and (2) estimate the net reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions attributable to telemedicine in the United States, based on national observational data describing the geographical characteristics of telemedicine session participants. We conducted a retrospective observational study of telemedicine sessions in the United States between January 1, 2022, and February 21, 2023, on the doxy.me platform. Using Google Distance Matrix, we determined the median travel distance between participating providers and patients for a proportional sample of sessions. Further, based on the best available public data, we estimated the total annual emissions costs and savings attributable to telemedicine in the United States. The median round trip travel distance between patients and providers was 49 (IQR 21-145) miles. The median CO2 emissions savings per telemedicine session was 20 (IQR 8-59) kg CO2). Accounting for the energy costs of telemedicine and US transportation patterns, among other factors, we estimate that the use of telemedicine in the United States during the years 2021-2022 resulted in approximate annual CO2 emissions savings of 1,443,800 metric tons. These estimates of travel distance and telemedicine-associated CO2 emissions costs and savings, based on national data, indicate that telemedicine may be an important strategy in reducing the health care sector's carbon footprint.

Thermal energy storage performance of biaxial voided RCC roof slab integrated with macroencapsulated PCM for passive cooling of buildings

Building space heating and cooling power consumption is growing due to population and economic growth. Integrating phase change materials (PCMs) into various building envelope components is being explored to enhance thermal energy storage capacities. Specifically, roofs exposed to direct sunlight significantly promote thermal energy transfer to the interior, increasing the space heating and cooling requirements. In this study, thermal energy storage performance of a biaxial voided roof slab integrated with PCM is experimentally investigated under ambient conditions and compared with a normal reinforced concrete (RCC) without PCM. PCM selection, characterization, and metal void former development are performed, followed by macroencapsulation and integration into the roof slab. Thermal performance measures are evaluated, including temperature profile, heat flux, thermal load, time lag, and decrement factor. Financial viability indicators such as electricity cost savings, payback period, and CO2 emissions savings are also assessed. The results show PCM integrated biaxial voided roof slab reduces interior temperature by upto 7.2 °C during sunny hours, heat transfer to the interior by upto 60.6 %, and thermal load by upto 54 %. In addition, considering heating and cooling, it offers an average daily saving of 0.06 USD/kWh/m2 and a payback period of about 5.7 years. Further, it gives CO2 emissions savings of upto 13.7, 12.3, and 4.3 kgCO2/kWh for lignite-, coal-, and natural gas-fired power plants. Furthermore, its mean time lag is 4.2 h, with a decrement factor of 0.75 compared to 3.9 h and 0.85 for the normal RCC unit. The study makes significant contribution to knowledge by providing a unique, simple yet highly effective PCM macroencapsulation integration technique for roof slabs and insights into its thermal performance under the hot weather conditions.

Demands for DfD data characteristics: a step towards enabling reuse of prefabricated concrete components

Adoption of the design for disassembly (DfD) concept is suggested as a promising strategy to cope with the climate targets and increase circular economy in the construction sector. Yet, the concept is little used partially due to technical challenges, including inadequate information about demolition and the characteristics of components. This study aims to investigate the demands for information linked to new concrete components with the purpose of reuse. In the building phase, concrete components cause the majority of emissions. Thus, these components also have the greatest potential for CO2 emissions savings. A comprehensive list of information related to DfD concrete components and their characteristics was gathered in a workshop with experts of DfD concrete elements. Furthermore, the stakeholders of DfD components data processing were considered. The results of this study may support the adoption of DfD with concrete components as it provides information for designers and builders to implement in early phases of building projects.

Low-Pressure Steam Generation with Concentrating Solar Energy and Different Heat Upgrade Technologies: Potential in the European Industry

The industry is currently responsible for around 21% of the total CO2 emissions, mainly due to heat production with fossil fuel burners. There are already different technologies on the market that can potentially reduce CO2 emissions. Nevertheless, the first step for their introduction is to analyze their potential on a global scale by detecting in which countries each of them is more attractive, given their energy prices and resources. The present work involves a techno-economic analysis of different alternatives to replace industrial gas boilers for low-pressure steam production at 120 °C and 150 °C. Solar Heat for Industrial Processes (SHIP) was compared with Electric Boilers (EBs), High-Temperature Heat Pumps (HTHPs), and Absorption Heat Transformers (AHTs). SHIP systems have the potential to reach payback periods in the range of 4 to 5 years in countries with Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) values above 1400 kWh/m2/year, which is reached in Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Romania. HTHPs and AHTs lead to the lowest payback periods, Levelized Cost of Heat (LCOH), and highest CO2 emission savings. For both AHTs and HTHPs, payback periods of below 1.5 years can be reached, particularly in countries with electricity-to-gas price ratios below 2.0.

Mineralisation of CO2 in wood biomass ash for cement substitution in construction products

This study extends our exploration of the potential of biomass ashes for their CO2-reactivity and self-cementing properties. The ability of three hardwood-based biomass ashes to mineralise CO2 gas and partially replace CEM I in mortars was investigated. The three hardwoods were English oak (Quercus rober), English lime (Tilia x europaea), and beech (Fagus sylvatica). The woody biomass wastes were incinerated at 800°C to extract their key mineral phases, which are known to be reactive to CO2 gas to form carbonates. The selected biomass ashes were analysed for their CO2-reactivity, which was in the range of 32–43% (w/w). The ashes were used to replace CEM I at 7 and 15% w/w and this “binder” was mixed with sand and water to produce cylindrical monolithic samples. These monoliths were then carbonated and sealed cured over 28 days. The compressive strength, density and microstructure of the carbonate-hardened monoliths were examined. The ash-containing monoliths displayed mature strengths comparable to the cement-only reference samples. The CO2 uptake of oak containing monoliths was 7.37 and 8.29% w/w, for 7 and 15% ash substitutions, respectively. For beech and English lime they were 4.96 and 6.22% w/w and 6.43 and 7.15% w/w, respectively. The 28 day unconfined compressive strengths for the oak and beech ashes were within the range of ~80–94% of the control, whereas lime ash was 107% of the latter. A microstructural examination showed carbonate cemented sand grains together highlighting that biomass ash-derived minerals can be very CO2 reactive and have potential to be used as a binder to produce carbonated construction materials. The use of biomass to energy ash-derived minerals as a cement replacement may have significant potential benefits, including direct and indirect CO2 emission savings in addition to the avoidance of landfilling of these combustion residues.

Evaluating the Impact of Telehealth on Carbon Footprint During Three Phases of the Pandemic at a Rural Academic Medical Center.

Background: Climate change is primarily driven by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2). Telehealth visits have been found to mitigate carbon emissions by reducing patient and physician transport. Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) is the most rural academic medical center in the country, serving a population where the majority of patients reach the hospital by car. No large study or systematic review has evaluated the impact of telehealth visits on CO2 emissions (CO2e) across multiple specialties in a purely rural setting. Further, no sizable rurally focused study has compared CO2e avoided during the various stages of the pandemic. Methods: We extracted data for all outpatient telehealth visits at DHMC from three periods: prepandemic, early pandemic, and late pandemic. The extracted data included the pandemic stage of the virtual visit, the type of visit (video or telephone), the specialty, and the distance from the patient's home to DHMC. Results: The total CO2e avoided among all three pandemic stages analyzed in this study was 23,658,898 kg (n = 251,832). During period 1, the mean driving distance = 159.0 miles; CO2e avoided per encounter = 128.3 kg; period 2, mean distance = 84.85 miles; average CO2e avoided per encounter = 68.47 CO2e kg; and period 3, mean distance = 112.9 miles; average CO2e avoided per encounter = 91.08 kg. Conclusions: This data supported long distances to the medical center and large savings in CO2e avoided across multiple specialties that spanned all pandemic periods. Further, this level of averted emissions could translate to over $3M in saved fuel costs and the avoidance of six excess deaths. While discussions of the future of telehealth commonly focus on access, use cases, technology, costs, and satisfaction, the impact on carbon footprint is an additional important metric, particularly in largely rural regions.

A framework for evaluating urban solar adoption considering economic and environmental priorities of project owners

In recent years, the utilization of photovoltaic (PV) solar systems in built-up regions have received more attention due to global warming issues and the need to mitigate the dependence on fossil fuels in buildings. In this context, it becomes critical to comprehend the economic and environmental implications of roof-installed PV systems for project owners looking to expand their usage. Thus, there is a need to develop a framework for optimizing rooftop solar PV systems in urban regions considering the economic and environmental aspects with regard to the PV project owners’ priorities, in addition to the energy-saving context, which was addressed in previous studies. Therefore, this study develops a search space optimization method to find the optimum layout of PV modules on roofs of buildings in urban regions, considering solar PV project owners' economic and environmental priorities. Payback time (PBT) and CO2 emission savings are considered for the economic and environmental criteria calculations, respectively. The results show the significance of owners’ economic and environmental priorities toward PV module arrangement on roofs. Instead of having an entire economic priority, having a 25 % environmental priority enhances annual PV system output and CO2 emission savings about 1.5 times with almost the same PBT.

Feasibility assessment of remanufacturing waste sheet steel into angle mesh steel

AbstractAs a better alternative to the energy‐intensive process of recycling waste sheet steel (WSS) from the exterior components of end‐of‐life vehicles to produce new steel, the feasibility of remanufacturing WSS into angle mesh steel (AMS) for construction applications is evaluated. A remanufacturing unit with a capacity of 1278 m2/day of WSS (30,000 vehicle/year) was evaluated using a triple‐bottom‐line sustainability analysis of the technological, economic, and environmental feasibilities by hybrid defuzzification–curve‐fitting, solid‐waste recoverability management, and weighting methods. Based on the remanufacturing productivity, an economic feasibility index was calculated considering the sales potential and profit, while the energy and CO2 emission savings were used to evaluate the environmental feasibility. The technical feasibility considered machine parameters and topological properties of the WSS. The Volkswagen Passat has the best remanufacturability of 200 analysed vehicle models. Remanufacturability indexes of 0.61 and 0.86 were calculated, giving remanufacturing efficiencies of 58%–82%. All feasibility indexes exceed literature thresholds, indicating that the proposed remanufacturing process is a sustainable business strategy and contributes to the United Nations Sustainability Goals of climate action; responsible consumption and production; no poverty; and industry, innovation, and infrastructure.

Environmental and Economic Sustainability Impacts of Metal Additive Manufacturing: A Study in the Industrial Machinery and Aeronautical Sectors

Metal additive manufacturing has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional manufacturing in various industries, offering advantages like complex geometries and reduced material waste. However, there is a research gap in the form of comparative and industry-specific investigations and case studies to comprehensively assess the environmental and economic impact of metal additive manufacturing.This study focuses on two significant sectors, industrial machinery and aeronautics, to understand how metal additive manufacturing influences environmental and economic sustainability compared to conventional manufacturing. Therefore, taking a life cycle approach, the environmental and economic impacts of this technology are evaluated and compared to conventional manufacturing through representative case studies in the two sectors using life cycle assessment and life cycle cost methodologies.The economic evaluation reveals that metal additive manufacturing reduces the total cost for aeronautical components by 33.2 %, even considering several post-processing operations. While for industrial machinery parts, this cost increases by 79.3 % due to high machine and material cost. However, this technology reduces the potential environmental impact by more than 60 % for both sectors, mainly due to reduced material consumption. The use phase for aeronautical components further contributes to environmental and economic benefits, with significant fuel and CO2 emissions savings. The results emphasize the sector-dependent nature of metal additive manufacturing's environmental and economic impact and underscore the importance of a life cycle perspective for informed decision-making.Some critical points for sustainable adoption of metal additive manufacturing in each sector are equipment investment, the post-processing applied, the material selected or, for the aeronautical industry, the impact of the use phase. Nevertheless, future developments are needed to address powder reuse, optimization, certification, and the social impact of metal additive manufacturing.

Decarbonization in Mexico by extending the charging stations network for electric vehicles

Climate change is an important phenomenon causing significant issues and concerns worldwide. As a consequence, many countries are making efforts to meet the goals proposed in the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement to reduce CO2 emissions. This paper explores the impact of electric vehicles on the decarbonization process in Mexico. Some scenarios are studied to propose an extension of the current charging stations network. These scenarios are modeled using a mathematical model that optimizes the location of such stations considering the origin-destination information available, a particular type of station, and different vehicle types and covered distances. The decarbonization impact is calculated based on the savings in CO2 emissions for the profile of electric energy generation in Mexico. The results for each scenario show that relevant coverage in the country can be achieved with a mild increase in the number of stations in strategic locations and with a benefit in the decarbonization effect.

Using zeolite filters to reduce activated carbon use in micropollutant removal from wastewater

Micropollutants (MPs) are a wide group of human-made chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals and/or industrial compounds, with a negative impact on ecosystems. As they are discharged through water lines, they are a common presence in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Among the known MPs removal treatments, adsorption-based processes are mostly used given their high MP removal capacity, although their production costs and environmental impact can be high. This is the case of powdered activated carbon (PAC), that remains nevertheless often the best option. Therefore, the optimization of PAC adsorption through the combination with natural zeolites is an interesting perspective. In this study, a combined approach made of zeolite-based filter and PAC to reduce water concentrations of eleven micropollutants is reported. The addition of a zeolite-based removal step increased the overall average removal by 14 % compared to 55 % obtained by the sole PAC adsorption. The combined zeolite-PAC process, by having higher removal efficiency allows a reduction in the use of PAC with interesting potential savings in costs and CO2 emissions. Also, a zeolite step before conventional PAC can ease the organic matter loading on the carbon, allowing for an improved recirculation in the biology tank, and can make the use of renewable sources-based PAC more appealing.

Quantifying saturation point of Beijing bike-sharing market from environmental benefit: A data mining framework

This study quantitatively estimates the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions savings from ride records for passengers whose travel behavior shifted from polluting modes (public transport and private car) to bike-sharing in Beijing. We present a framework for examining how travel time, distance, purpose, frequency, weather, and demographics affect passenger usage and estimate environmental benefits. The framework comprises modules of association rules, density-based spatial clustering, random forest, and CO2 emission estimation. Our findings show that commuters with a trip distance of 1–2 km are more likely to change their behavior patterns. Therefore, more CO2 emission savings accrue in developed districts where residential density and employment rates are higher, than in central districts. Beijing saves 4322.38 kg CO2 per day. In contrast, four districts are oversupplied and have reached saturation points in the number of bikes. Implications for planners suggest that they will be able to better control the number of bikes launched.

Adopting occupancy-based HVAC controls in commercial building energy codes: Analysis of cost-effectiveness and decarbonization potential

Recent research has shown the energy-saving potential of occupancy-based HVAC controls (OBCs) in commercial buildings. However, building energy codes have not fully adopted this technology. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and decarbonization benefits of OBCs and provide guidance for integrating occupancy sensors into building energy code development. To this end, a parametric simulation using EnergyPlus and a nationwide cost-effectiveness analysis are carried out considering three building types and 40 representative cities in the U.S. The findings reveal that the current cost-effectiveness performance of OBCs is limited due to the high cost of occupancy sensors. However, incorporating the societal cost of carbon factor in future energy and environmental policy could greatly enhance the actual cost-effectiveness performance. Besides, a reduction in the cost of occupancy sensors to approximately 60% of the current price level could also greatly shorten the discounted payback period of OBCs. Additionally, OBCs demonstrate significant potential in building decarbonization, with potential CO2 emissions savings of more than 5.56 million metric tons across the three building types and 40 selected cities. Finally, policy implications are provided to guide the incorporation of occupancy-based HVAC controls in future energy codes.

The Role of Cogeneration in the Electrification Pathways towards Decarbonization

The global call for an environmentally friendly, sustainable, and reliable energy system looks for the optimal integration of different technologies to allow a smooth and economically viable transition towards electrification. In this context, small, medium, and large industrial processes are relevant contributors to global CO2 emissions production due to the simultaneous requirement of electricity, heating, and cooling power generally obtained through fossil fuel combustion. In this context, Combined Heat and Power Energy converters based on internal combustion engines, such as reciprocating engines, gas turbines, and gas turbine combined cycles, and external combustion, such as backpressure and condensing steam power plants, are the most suitable solutions for the efficient and reliable generation of the above-mentioned assets. Typically, the industrial demand for heat and electricity differs in terms of heat-to-power ratio when compared to the heat-to-power ratio of the CHP plant, and this has led to requiring the selection of a control strategy to follow, partially or fully, the heat load or the electric load. In this paper, the authors propose an operating and design strategy addressed to fully covering the heat load demands by the heat generated by the CHP, allowing the system to have an excess of electricity generated. This electricity can be used for different purposes, as regards the novel electrification roadmap. Indeed, the authors have explored four configurations in which the excess of the CHP-generated electricity can be exported to the national grid, used for high-tension fast-charging electromobility systems, for running reverse osmosis desalination plants, and for the production of alternative fuels such as hydrogen. The authors propose a methodology for providing an extensive environmental techno-economic assessment that looks at 2050 CO2 targets. Accordingly, the environmental techno-economic assessment results are presented and discussed by considering the Net Present Value, payback period, and CO2 emission savings.