The municipality of Wettenberg has designed the "Dünsberger Weg" development area in Wißmar for a climate-friendly and cost-effective heat supply. Over the past few months, Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) has laid a local heating network more than 500 metres long for 31 building plots - nine houses are already standing - and set up a heating centre.
On Tuesday 12 November, Wettenberg's mayor Thomas Brunner, the municipality's environmental officer Michael Krick, the first alderman Reinhard Bamberger as well as SWG board member Reinhard Paul and Matthias Funk, head of district heating at SWG, put the system and the heating network into operation. "As a municipality, we want to offer house builders the option of a climate-friendly and cost-effective energy supply. And we are pleased to have a partner right on our doorstep who has a lot of experience in realising such projects," said Thomas Brunner at the official inauguration.
Heat and electricity at the same time
The centrepiece of the plant is a combined heat and power unit (CHP) with a thermal output of 38 kilowatts (kW) and an electrical output of 19 kW. As the CHP works on the principle of combined heat and power (CHP), it generates heat and electricity at the same time. "This climate-friendly technology is much more efficient and climate-friendly than the separate production of heat and electricity in a boiler and a power plant. This is why we have been expanding CHP in combination with heating networks in Giessen and the region for many years," explained Reinhard Paul. Matthias Funk calculated what the heating centre in Wettenberg saves: "We reduce the fuel requirement by an energy quantity of 300,000 kilowatt hours (kWh). That corresponds to around 30,000 litres of heating oil." While the heating energy is consumed directly on site in the development area, the CHP electricity flows into the public grid.
Several tonnes ofCO2 saved
The heated water from the heating centre reaches the properties via well-insulated pipes and house transfer stations. The advantages for homeowners: they do not have to install their own heating centre, which saves them space and money. In addition, regular maintenance work and the costs for the chimney sweep are eliminated.
At peak load times - i.e. during the morning hours in winter - the CHP is supported by an additional natural gas condensing boiler with a thermal output of 218 kW. SWG has also installed a photovoltaic system with a peak output of 4.4 kilowatts on the site of the heating centre. It also helps to saveCO2 in Wettenberg. Mayor Thomas Brunner proudly explains: "This new system brings us another significant step forward in terms of climate protection. With its help, we are reducingCO2 emissions by around 60 tonnes a year."
14.11.2013