06.05.2024
Source: Energie & Management Powernews
When it comes to heat planning, Stadtwerke Bad Tölz sees itself "years ahead" of other municipalities. The reason for this is the upcoming heat energy center with a 75 percent share of renewables.
The Bad Tölz public utility company is making great strides towards the goal of a climate-friendly heat supply. Work has begun on a new heat energy center (WEZ), with the Upper Bavarians estimating the total investment at 30 million euros. Around 80 percent of households in the spa town south of Munich, which has a population of 19,000, will be able to benefit from local heating in the future, according to Stadtwerke Managing Director Walter Huber.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the center took place at the end of April and work on the building is due to be completed this year. The new local heating system is due to go into operation in 2025. A certain part of the infrastructure will be installed gradually in order to synchronize the heat supply with the further connection of households to the grid.
The first considerations for the WEZ date back ten years. The local heating supply in Bad Tölz has a much longer history, as the first network dates back to the US military, which used to be stationed in the region. In 1990, the town took over the lines.
For the project manager of the municipal utilities, Andreas Rösch, the WEZ is "a very important contribution to ensuring the requirements of a heat supply that is as CO2-neutral as possible while simultaneously supporting the power grid in the long term."
Biggest investment since the construction of the Isar power plant
The idea behind the heating center consists of various interlinked elements. The core elements are new large heat pumps. They run on green electricity, most of which is generated by the municipal utilities themselves - through solar systems on the roofs of the heating center and the utility's administration building, among others, which have a combined output of 1.8 MW.
The heat pumps, in turn, are dimensioned in such a way that excess heat is generated in the sunny months. Buffer storage tanks with a capacity of 600 cubic meters collect this heat for a few days and release it at night, for example. The waste heat generated behind the solar modules is also not wasted, but can be used for the heat pumps.
In winter, a wood chip system covers the additional heat requirement, which should grow in line with the number of household connections. Power-to-heat systems in the form of electrically operated instantaneous water heaters are also used, which also convert solar power peaks into heat.
This is how the 75 percent eco-quota is achieved
The system cannot yet be operated entirely on a renewable basis. The integrated combined heat and power plant, which also generates electricity using typical cogeneration, will initially continue to run on gas, but is prepared for operation with (green) hydrogen. Natural gas boilers are also available to cover peak loads and as a reserve. According to current plans, the CHP and boiler will account for 25 percent of heat production, meaning that the renewable share of the WEZ will be around three quarters.
In connection with the WEZ, Stadtwerke speaks of the "largest financial project" since the construction of the Isar power plant in the 1950s, which produces around 10 million kWh of green electricity per year. The utility, a wholly owned subsidiary of the municipality, is hoping for public subsidies of up to 40 percent of the investment in the WEZ for grid expansion, buildings and the renewable plants.
In principle, Walter Huber sees Bad Tölz as "years ahead of other municipalities" when it comes to municipal heat planning. Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the municipal utility will follow the commissioning of the WEZ as an interested observer from the outside. He will voluntarily step down at the end of June (we reported). A decision on a successor has not yet been made, according to a spokesperson for Stadtwerke when asked by our editorial team. VOLKER STEPHAN
Author: Volker Stephan
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