BasePower’s innovative development of energy technologies has achieved an industry first for Tier 1 automotive industry supplier. A Combined Heat and Power (CHP) scheme providing heat in the form of hot water and thermal oil has been successfully commissioned at the production site in the West Midlands.

Power generated from the CHP energy centre is supplied to the factory, offsetting the power imported from the National Grid and helping to deliver lower energy bills. Heat from the CHP is supplied to the site’s production processes including Air Handling Units, Ovens and Presses, maintaining them to the required temperature tolerances.

Prior to switch on of the CHP scheme in January 2021, BasePower developed an innovative solution to integrate the waste heat from the CHP with the site’s thermal oil system. Thermal oil heats the presses to the high temperatures required for the site’s injection moulding processes. To date the site has used gas-fired boilers to provide heat to the thermal oil circuit. The CHP heat is now the primary heat source for the system, with the existing boilers used as backup.

Robin Hardy, Projects Director at BasePower said:
“This project demonstrates how CHP can lower energy bills and be a platform for integration with other hybrid technologies.”