Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. ( MHI) and Toho Gas Co., Ltd. have jointly developed a new 450- kilowatt (kW) gas cogeneration system to be launched into the Japanese market by both companies on April 1, announced MHI on Wednesday.

The newly developed gas cogeneration system, which is based on a previously introduced 380kW system, achieves power output of 450kW. Its generating efficiency is 42.0 percent, "the world's highest level in the 400kW class", and overall efficiency is 81.5 percent, said MHI in a release.

In addition, reduction of both initial costs and running costs were pursued in the new system through the elimination of the need for denitrification equipment. All these benefits enable a faster investment return than with the 380kW system. A 20-percent reduction in installation space requirements has also been achieved by trimming the physical dimensions of the main unit.

In the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, customer interest in gas cogeneration systems has strengthened "not only because of their extremely efficient use of energy but also for their contributions to achieving power security and saving power in line with business continuity plans (BCP)", said MHI, Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics company headquartered in Tokyo.

Customers are also showing greater interest in achieving higher performance levels, said MHI.

"Going forward, MHI and Toho Gas intend to propose the new 450kW gas cogeneration system for adoption in hospitals, commercial facilities, office buildings, factories, etc. as a way of promoting the further adoption of these efficient systems," said the release.