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Pursuant to the supplement to the Medium Voltage Guideline in 2013, the certification directives for co-generation plants have been adopted and the obligation to furnish evidence of compliance with the BDEW guidelines of 2009 is now also binding for co-generation plants. As a result, certificates have to be furnished for CHPs connected to the medium voltage grid with reference to their behavior in the event of a failure.

The amendment to the obligatory certification within the medium voltage guideline in 2013 catapulted combined heat and power units into a new league: they are now also in charge of stabilizing the dynamic German power supply network. This provides excellent opportunities for the technology, but it also means new obligations.  

The combined heat and power technology (CHP), in particular co-generation units, have long been a part of the industrial energy transition. However, the large potential of combined heat and power units is still underutilized. The reason for this, among others, is because of the properties of the installed drive technology: for instance, the non-uniform torque of reciprocating engines. New components promise more power with consistently good energy efficiency.