The centrepiece of an ultra-modern plant for generating climate-friendly district heating is currently being built in Gießen's Schlachthofstraße.
Anyone who has recently driven or walked through Schlachthofstraße will probably have noticed that major construction work is underway on the site where the SWG gas globe can be seen from afar. Over the next few weeks and months, Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) will be building a technical centre with three river water heat pumps here, which will form the heart of the iKWK PowerLahn plant. iKWK stands for innovative combined heat and power generation. "In this system, we combine the three heat pumps with two combined heat and power (CHP) units and an electric heat generator. The heat pumps form the innovative part of the system," says Matthias Funk, Technical Director at SWG, explaining the project. There is a simple reason why SWG is installing the heat pumps in Schlachthofstrasse: they utilise the River Lahn as a heat source.
Construction work is also progressing at the second site - the Leihgesterner Weg cogeneration plant. SWG will soon have the two CHP units and the electrical heat generator, the so-called power-to-heat module, installed here. SWG removed two old gas turbines here months ago to create the necessary space.
Complex structure explained clearly
A plant with three different generation systems at two locations - that sounds confusing, and not just for laypeople. But the puzzle is quickly solved. In order to receive the state subsidies required for such a project, SWG must comply with clearly defined specifications. One of these is that all heat generators belonging to the system - i.e. the heat pumps, the CHP units and the power-to-heat module - must feed into the same district heating network. "Thanks to our extensive network, this requirement has never been an issue for us," explains Andreas Hergaß, Commercial Director at SWG.
More exciting than the places where PowerLahn is created is therefore how the overall system works, and in particular the river water heat pumps. This is exactly what SWG explains on the website www.stadtwerke-giessen.de/powerlahn. Among other things, an informative film can be found here that focuses on the heat pumps and gives an impression of what the new building in Schlachthofstrasse will look like. SWG was able to recruit Willi Weitzel for the three-minute video. In his usual likeable manner, the well-known TV presenter explains what PowerLahn is all about and what advantages the system offers. SWG has also compiled a wealth of facts and figures as well as constantly updated FAQs on its pioneering project.