large installations, huge savings

Transcription

1 large installations, huge savings Arcon Solar solar heating plants for district heating companies

2 How the sun makes a district heating plant stronger Large-scale solar heating installations are the perfect supplement to district heating plants, regardless of the fuel type used. They offer a wide range of benefits, including the possibility of significantly reducing the price of district heating and of becoming much more energy independent. They also contribute positively to a sustainable future as solar heating installations considerably reduce the CO 2 emissions of district heating plants. ARCON Solar, which along with sister companies VELUX and SONNENKRAFT is part of VKR Holding, is the world's leading manufacturer of large-scale solar heating plants for the district heating sector and others. We have installed more than 300,000 m 2 of solar collectors since we began in 1974 and can assist throughout the process towards an efficient end-result. This brochure provides a small insight into the results achieved by three district heating companies with a solar heating solution from ARCON Solar. Economy Reduce the price of heating significantly A typical solar heating installation will allow a district heating plant to lower its prices from day one. In some cases by as much as 20%. Independence Environment Become more energy independent Once the system has been installed, the sun provides the energy at a fixed price: zero. The price of fuel, on the other hand, will rise. We just don t know how much. It depends on conditions outside our control. As a result, the greater the proportion of a district heating plant's energy consumption that can be met by the sun, the better it will be for the plant's customers. Reduce global warming Contribute to a sustainable future. The sun is our only renewable ener gy source. A solar heating installation typically reduces a district heating plant's CO 2 emission by about 1 ton for each household it supplies. 2

3 Introduction 2 Natural-gas-fired plant: Ringkøbing 4 Straw-fired plant: Sydfalster 6 Wood-chip-fired plant: Svebølle-Viskinge 8 Selected references 10 CONTENTS the perfect match for district heating, irrespective of fuel type Natural gas Straw Wood chips District Heating: Ringkøbing DK SEE PAGE 4 District Heating: Sydfalster DK see page 6 District Heating: Svebølle-Viskinge DK see page 8 3

4 District Heating: Ringkøbing fuel: natural gas The best decision we've ever made BACKGROUND Ringkøbing-Skjern is the largest municipality in Denmark, areawise. The municipality has adopted a plan whereby it will use 100% renewable energy by 2020, focusing among other things on solar heating and the utilisation of animal waste for biogas production. Ringkøbing District Heating wants to become free/independent of fossil fuels in an economically responsible way. CONSIDERATIONS Managing Director Jesper Skovhus Andersen says: "Even though the plant was established without support or subsidies, it's still a good investment, partly because there are practically no running costs. While the expected lifetime is 25 years, the installation will have paid for itself within 10 years at the current price of natural gas." Key plant data Net area (effective) 15,024 m 2 collectors 1,200 Expected service life min. 25 years Annual CO 2 reduction 1,408 ton Calculated max. output 10.5 MW Calculated annual output 7,125 MWh Expected solar coverage 7 % Total price Approx. DKK 33 million 4

5 DECISION After thorough preparation, including among other things visits to other district heating plants where solar collectors have been installed, a decision was taken to install the world's then second largest solar heating plant. As Ringkøbing District Heating had used Hollensen for other installation work, the company was chosen as general contractor for the project. PROCESS The municipal authorities were a strong and active partner throughout the process. Two quotations were obtained for solar collectors and ARCON Solar was chosen as it offered the best combination of price, output and warranty. RESULTS "I've been very surprised by the amount of local support we've received. Our consumers have demonstrated exceptional commitment and enthusiasm. Everyone feels it's their plant, and show it off to visitors," says Jesper Skovhus Andersen. The business community has also shown considerable interest. "Green" heating is in demand from Vestas, for example, which purchases solar district heating. "The results have been so good that we're currently considering doubling the size of the plant from the present 15,000 m 2 to 30,000 m 2," concludes Jesper Skovhus Andersen. Unfortunately, the project ran into problems with cables and drainage pipes on the site, and piling had to be installed. On top of this, the winter of 2009/10 proved to be a harsh one. All challenges were successfully overcome, however, and when the plant was inaugurated in 2010 it attracted immense interest from all sides among other things with a four-minute segment on national TV2 news. 100 % 90 % Heat production (MWh) Ringkøbing Plenty of sunshine and not only in summer 80 % 70 % 60 % 50 % 40 % 30 % 20 % 10 % 0 % July September Oktober November DecemberJanuary February March August April May June Ringkøbing District Heating believe their installation gives the highest output per m 2 solar collector. This is partly because of the collectors operating well at low temperature and partly because the plant is optimised to provide greatest possible output in the spring and autumn. During these periods, a temperature of about 60 C can be obtained, about 15 C lower than in summer. By controlling precisely where in the storage tank the water is fed, optimum layering can be achieved. 5

6 District Heating: Sydfalster fuel: straw The largest solar heating plant in Eastern Denmark lowers the price of heating 966 HT solar collectors on concrete supports provide tangible savings every day for households supplied by the company Key plant data Net area (effective) 12,075 m 2 collectors 966 Expected service life min. 25 years Calculated max. output 8.0 MW Calculated annual output 6,050 MWh Expected solar coverage 19 % Total price Approx. DKK 19 million 6

7 BACKGROUND "We have wanted to use solar energy for as long as I can remember. It's clearly smart to use energy that's free." Operations Manager Bjarne Kobbernagel doesn't need much time for thought when asked why Sydfalster District Heating installed a solar heating plant. Although the district heating plant was fired solely by straw and other biomass, and was thus already CO 2 neutral, solar energy was seen as being even more environmentally friendly. CONSIDERATIONS "In the past, we have always done things ourselves, but this time we chose to use consultants from Rambøll, who have been excellent sparring partners for us." In order to keep installation costs down, it was decided to retain the existing storage tank and dimension the solar collection system in relation to it. DECISION The decision was taken as soon as the economic calculations looked reasonable. The price of alternative energy sources has risen considerably over the last ten years. "As soon as we could get solar energy for the same price, we gave the project the go-ahead," says Bjarne Kobbernagel, who adds: "Over the two years the project took to complete, the price of fuel has continued to rise, and solar energy is now cheaper than biomass." PROCESS Where solar collectors were concerned, quotations were invited from two manufacturers. Although ARCON Solar's solution was slightly more expensive to install, it offered greater energy production per m 2 and was therefore the better solution overall. The most time-consuming part of the process was gaining approval from the municipal authorities. Although there was plenty of political support in the municipal council, it still took 18 months, which is actually quite quick compared to other solar heating projects. "What surprised me most during the entire process was how easily everything went. I've been involved in many projects, but none have run as smoothly as this one," comments Bjarne Kobbernagel. RESULTS Operationally, the plant has run faultlessly. There have been no stoppages since operations began. And over the nine or ten months of operation, utilisation of solar radiation has been about 3-4% higher than budgeted. "We have always focused on optimising boiler operation, making it as rational as possible. Now, we've had to get used to not always having a full storage tank as we need to keep space in the tank for water heated by solar energy." "From an economic point of view, the plant has proved so successful that we could have chosen a solution in which we replaced the storage tank with a larger one. It is probable that we will do so at some point in the future. We already have a plan for phase two, ready and waiting to be implemented when the time is right," concludes Bjarne Kobbernagel. six different solar collector types To achieve optimum efficiency, six different collector types are used. Both HT-A solar collectors without foil, which are best at low temperatures, and HT-SA solar collectors with insulating foil, which provide greater output at high temperatures. Both types are also fitted with distribution pipes and strips of different size in order to optimise pressure drop and flow. 7

8 District Heating: Svebølle-Viskinge fuel: wood chips wood chips and solar energy go hand in hand BACKGROUND Residents of Svebølle-Viskinge want to be green. At several general meetings of the district heating company, the board has had no difficulty getting approval for its vision to be among the top ten greenest heating plants. Chairman Svend Müller adds: "Among other things, that's why we decided to use wood chips and rapeseed oil as fuel. We also have a plant fired by landfill gas and have had a look at wind turbines and solar cells." CONSIDERATIONS As the cost of oil was relatively high, an alternative had to be found, and we started by purchasing an additional, larger wood-chip-fired boiler. A solar heating plant was also analysed. Initially, the calculations and advice of consultants suggested that it was not worthwhile in relation to wood chips (wood chips and straw are the cheapest fuels at present). Key plant data Net area (effective) 7,024 m 2 collectors 561 Expected service life min. 25 years Calculated max. output 4.8 MW Calculated annual output 3,158 MWh Expected solar coverage 20 % Total price Approx. DKK 10.8 million 8

9 On subsequent analysis, it looked more attractive, though, especially in light of the fact that a 1,200 m 3 heat storage tank had been bought together with the chip-fired boiler. At the time the decision was taken, the price of 1 MW solar energy, including depreciation and interest, was the same as the raw material price of wood chips. As the price of wood chips has risen since then, the calculation looks even better. DECISION The solar heating plant chosen was capable of supplying 20-21% of heating needs as this was the optimum solution in relation to preventing surplus heat production in summer. "In light of increasing prices and the government's proposed duties on wood chips, solar heating can only become even more attractive. The board is therefore likely to propose a 3,000 m 2 extension of the existing plant," says Svend Müller. PROCESS Although the two quotations received during the process offered very similar prices, ARCON Solar was chosen among other things because of its realistic promise concerning production per m 2. Production per m 2 was even covered by a performance guarantee. The district heating company was pleased with the choice as it received good backup and assistance in fine-tuning the plant. The often laborious process of gaining official approval went very smoothly in a fantastic rapport with the municipal authorities. The only surprise during the process involved site preparation, where the combination of clay soil and heavy rain made things very difficult. It is therefore recommendable that the site be prepared in autumn rather than spring. RESULTS The plant was officially inaugurated on 1 August 2011, and produced 3,200 MW during its first year of operation, a figure which met expectations and the assumptions on which the board had based its decision. There is very little maintenance, and 15 sheep keep the grass well trimmed. As the board is very conscious of always using the best energy source, fine adjustments are constantly made to the various plants and to when solar energy is supplemented by landfill gas, wood flakes or wood chips. As Svend Müller says: "If it's worthwhile combining solar heating with wood chips, it's worthwhile combining it with any fuel type whatsoever as wood chips are the cheapest fuel available." 9

10 we also know other things about largescale installations and sound solar economics Marstal DK Area 17,943 Year 1996/1999/2002 collectors 1418 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 474 Max. output (MW) 12.5 Brædstrup DK Area 18,612 Year 2007/2012 collectors 1,447 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 480 Max. output (MW) 13 Osaka Kubota JP Area 475 Year 1999/2000 collectors 38 Type Housing complex Kungälv SE Area 10,048 Year 2000 collectors 800 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 400 Max. output (MW) 7 Industrial process heat Industry uses energy both for heating purposes and for industrial processes, where the high temperatures obtainable in a solar heating system can be utilised. ARCON Solar has extensive experience in installations for industrial process heat. Broager DK Area 9,988 Year 2009 collectors 794 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 508 Max. output (MW) 7 Neckarsulm DE Area 5,670 Year 1997 collectors 454 Type Decentralised district heating (positioned above shopping centre and car park) Vejby-Tisvilde DK Area Vejby-Tisvilde 8,000 Year Areal Number År 2012 of solar collectors Antal solfangere Calculated Beregnet ydelse output pr per m 2 m(kwh/m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) ) 470 Max. Max. output effekt (MW) (MW) 6 Type Type District Fjernvarme heating 10

11 Gram DK Area 10,073 Year 2009 collectors 802 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 482 Max. output (MW) 7 Tistrup DK Area 5,409 Year 2010 collectors 432 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 494 Max. output (MW) 3.6 Care centres, holiday centres and housing complexes ARCON Solar has good experience with systems installed in buildings where large quantities of hot water are required. In such cases, any surplus heat produced can be used for room heating, ventilation systems or swimming pool heating. Sæby Swimming hall DK Area 450 Year 2010 collectors 36 Type Swim centre Strandby DK Area 8,019 Year 2008 collectors 641 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 469 Max. output (MW) 6 Hvidbjerg Strand DK Area 283 Year 2009 collectors 22 Type Holiday centre Gråsten DK Area 18,988 Year 2012 collectors 1518 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 510 Max. output (MW) 13.3 Further information Ulsted DK Area 5,012 Year 2006 collectors 400 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 454 Max. output (MW) 3.5 Gørding DK Area 7,424 Year 2012 collectors 593 m 2 (kwh/m 2 ) 471 Max. output (MW) 5.2 If you have any questions or would like further information, please call us on We are waiting by the phone and will be pleased to help you clarify the possibilities of installing a large-scale solar heating system which meets your needs. You can also find further information at 11

12 ARCON Solar is Europe's leading expert in large-scale solar heating solutions. If a smaller system can meet your requirements, this can be provided by SONNENKRAFT, a sister company to ARCON Solar. Together, we offer solutions capable of meeting any needs for hot water, room heating and electricity, from small-scale installations for private households to large-scale installations for industrial companies. Industry We have supplied more than 50% of all solar heating installations larger than m 2 in Europe. Business We have extensive experience in developing individual solutions for hotels, schools, apartment buildings, hospitals, etc. Home We offer the largest range of solutions for your home or swimming pool. AR-2012-REF-01-UK 2012 ARCON Solar A/S ARCON Solar and the ARCON Solar logo are trademarks belonging to VKR Holding A/S Contact ARCON Solar today. The sun will rise again, as early as tomorrow. ARCON Solar A/S Skørping Nord Skørping Denmark Tlf.: arcon@arcon.dk