CHP sector wants to become the backbone of the energy industry

February 22, 2024


Source: Energy & Management Powernews

The CHP sector believes it is ready to make a major contribution to covering the residual load in Germany. However, the right signals from politicians are now needed to achieve this,

90 percent of customers who come to the E-world trade fair stand of CHP manufacturer Sokratherm ask the same question, says Sales Manager Joachim Voigt: "They ask: What should I do now?". There is a great deal of uncertainty, and this is primarily due to the current lack of prospects.

The industry is therefore eagerly awaiting the amendment to the CHP Act, which expires in 2026; consultations on this are due to begin before the summer break in 2024. The German Combined Heat and Power Association (B.KWK) therefore invited visitors to its stand at E-world. And presented itself confidently: the key points of the power plant strategy that have now been defined are welcomed in principle, said association president Claus-Heinrich Stahl. In view of the reduction in the power plant capacity to be put out to tender from the original 30,000 MW to just 10,000 MW, it is now recommended that the additional 15,000 MW required by 2030 be covered by an amended CHP Act and biomass CHP. This is facilitated by the recent decision of the European Court of Justice that the KWKG funding does not constitute state aid. "Now the Federal Ministry of Economics can no longer hide," says Stahl.

The industry believes it is perfectly capable of providing the necessary power. "Our customers are waiting for a signal from politicians that we are taking the energy transition to the next level," says Joachim Maier, Managing Director of Innio Jenbacher Deutschland, who is presenting one of his company's "lighthouse projects" at E-world. According to Maier, the Querdel organic farm in Sassenberg in Münsterland is home to "Germany's largest regenerative storage power plant" with 10 MW, which is generated by three Jenbacher CHP units when there is too little electricity available from wind and sun in the grid. The resulting heat is used via a heat storage system to heat the organic farm's greenhouse. "This is a blueprint for us, but we could build 10,000 such plants in Germany." Existing biogas plants or natural gas CHP plants also still have "incredible potential to be made more flexible and to operate in a grid-friendly manner".

However, Maier believes that using CHP plants to cover the residual load would mean a "fundamental change to the CHP landscape". An amendment to the CHP Act is therefore expected to change the subsidy design. "We need support for output so that we can invest," said Maier. B.KWK President Stahl also emphasized the need for investment subsidies.

CHP/heat pump combi as a solution for the energy transition

"We have to expand what we can expand," said Managing Director Johannes Meinhold at the Sokratherm stand with regard to the energy transition, arguing that this expansion should be linked to efficiency criteria. "With the large 2.5 GW power plant units now planned, there is no requirement that they have to be efficient. The only requirement is that they must be hydrogen-capable. We have been able to do that for a long time."

His company, like its competitor 2G, will be presenting combinations of combined heat and power plants and heat pumps at E-world. In view of the future requirements of the electricity system, this combination is ideal, says Sokratherm Sales Manager Voigt. During the heating period, the heat pump can be used when there is a surplus of electricity. If not enough power can be provided from wind and sun, then the CHP unit steps in, produces heat and supplies additional electricity. "As a manufacturer, we are not saying that CHP is the panacea," says Stefan Liesner, Head of Marketing at 2G, "ultimately it's about what is the best solution for the individual property, for the municipality, the hospital or the industry." This is why his company has also entered into the production of heat pumps. "The combination of CHP and heat pump is the solution that can implement the energy transition quickly. We have project realization periods of six months, I don't think large power plants can match that."

The fact that CHP systems can also be used sensibly in smaller properties is demonstrated by Managing Director Cord Müller at the EC Power stand. Among other things, the company offers so-called mini CHP units, which, according to the manufacturer, achieve an overall efficiency of up to 106 percent and thus make CHP interesting even for low energy requirements.

In order to make such investments possible now, Müller says, a "statement in favor of CHP" is urgently needed through an amendment and early extension of the CHP Act until the 2030s. And B.KWK President Stahl also says clearly: "The next KWKG must work until 2035, otherwise no one will invest today."

Author: Katia Meyer-Tien