Exemplary climate protection: solar thermal energy, wood-fired cogeneration plant, heat storage
Solar thermal energy is indispensable as a source of energy and heat in renewable energy production. The challenge for inner-city energy supply: a high-performance system requires space. And a grid connection that guarantees supply regardless of fluctuations.
Heat storage tank for Germany's largest solar thermal plant in Ludwigsburg
In mid-2017, Stadtwerke Ludwigsburg-Kornwestheim implemented the construction of Germany’s largest solar thermal plant as part of the Federal Environment Ministry’s municipal climate protection model project (SolarHeatGrid). Part of the future-oriented project, which cost just under €16 million, is a heat storage facility – successfully implemented by Kremsmüller in 2019 and 2020 in
cooperation with its subsidiary Max Straube.
The round pressure storage tank with 5 bar overpressure and a temperature of up to 110 °C has a usable capacity of 2,000 cubic meters. It is 20 meters high, 14 meters in diameter and weighs up to 3,000 tons when in operation. To construct a foundation with the necessary load-bearing capacity, 24 bored piles were driven 13 meters deep into the ground.
Heat storage for stability in supply and price and less CO2
The thermal pressure storage tank ensures that the grid is supplied with renewable energy even when generation fluctuates—for example, during the winter months. In conjunction with the solar thermal system, the heat storage tank can feed the renewable heat into the expanded grid, thereby replacing the base load heat of the individual grids, some of which is still generated using conventional methods. The result: more heat from renewable energies and lower CO2 emissions.
Regional energy suppliers can make a significant contribution to the energy transition and climate protection – in energy generation, but also, for example, by modernizing and expanding their facilities with heat storage systems. This also ensures stability in heat supply and price. The project also pays off for nature: savings forecasts in Ludwigsburg show that the new plant will save around 3,700 tons of CO2 per year – equivalent to around 1.6 million liters of gasoline.
Model projects benefit from planning expertise
Projects that serve as models require a great deal of planning. This is especially true when existing facilities are being converted or upgraded and new technologies have to be integrated into existing technical and architectural structures. Kremsmüller’s many years of experience make it the right partner for modernization and new construction projects in municipal energy generation and energy supply.
The company’s expertise in the field of energy generation and energy supply is based on its extensive experience in the design, planning, and implementation of projects in the areas of solar thermal energy, photovoltaics, wind energy, and biomass. Kremsmüller’s expertise in the field of energy generation and energy supply is based on its extensive experience in the design, planning, and implementation of projects in the areas of solar thermal energy, photovoltaics, wind energy, and biomass.
Facts
Project
Pressure heat storage tank for solar thermal systems and wood-fired cogeneration plants
Project partners for planning and construction
- Kremsmüller Anlagenbau GmbH
- Max Straube GmbH – Teil der Kremsmüller Group (Verrohrung)
Dimensions per storage unit
Diameter 14 meters x height 20 meters, volume: 2,000 m³
Weight (filled)
approximately 3,000 tons
Excess pressure
5 bar
Temperature of the storage water
bis 110°C
Special features
- Foundation on 24 bored piles, anchored 13 meters deep in the ground
- According to forecasts, the plant will save 3,700 tons of CO2 per
year, equivalent to around 1.6 million liters of gasoline Here, the roof of the heat storage tank is being installed
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